The Trials of Helga Sinclair
by Gmonster
Summary: Helga has survived only to awaken to the whole new sets of rules and people within the lost empire of Atlantis. The Mermaids and there heroic Queen Syrena as well as face the revenge of Princess Kida. In order to live in this world she also face her own dark inner demons that could tear apart even before Kida does. (HelgaSinclairxJanePorter) (M for Nudity,smut,disturbing images)
1. The City of the Mermaids

The darkness of the cave had brought brief comfort to the blonde haired woman. She crawled into it as the chaos all around her increased but she don't care.

That asshole Rourke and the Professor could both roast in hell for all she cared, they deserved each other. Everything since they arrived here, she had been shown nothing more then an upside world far different from ether Frankfurt and Washington D.C, but Atlantis wasn't ether.

Her mind was focus on the hatred she felt for her former team mates. There was no such thing as _"justice"_ for all the pain she was feeling now. The hate was burning into her blue eyes, the angry sneer forged to her face. Men like Rourke would have killed her just for a good laugh now, is that kind of hatred that kept her from feeling the numbness that was setting into her legs. She know soon she would lose all feeling in them. She begin to cough up blood from her mouth, that was the sign she know the end was near.

A blood trail followed as she slowly itched toward a nearby pool of crystal clear water. She just want one drink before she left this earth to face her judgement.

There was still some hope in her as well but it so little for it, the hope of seeing Frankfurt, her mother and twin sisters again. The hope of her father forgiving her for leaving on this trip with saying she would bring him the money.

And the hope of seeing " _her"_ one more time, the woman of her dreams, the very woman she would have married right off the bat. Hadn't not been for the commander or the "plan", the one thing that mattered above the all the thrown away lives of the soldiers and the life of the one Atlantean, the King. She was closing her eyes, " _W_ _hy think of him in the middle of your death?"_ she thought to herself" _The old man could still be alive, you're not a heartless monster"_ but she know that was bullcrap.

She know Rourke hadn't plan on anyone actually living in Atlantis, they hadn't plan on forcing the Professor to join them in there hare brained scheme of stealing a "treasure" or having the girl he desired most to be the vessel for the living breathing treasure, or the fact that the same guy made her former teammates into enemies in some random whim to kill them now.

In her mind there was no more _"Preston Whitmore_ _Expedition_ ", it become a mindless disastrous shot out between two egos and she was the victim. The anger she felt was slowly going away replaced by a need to sleep and for the first time in her life, she was scared knowing fully well she wouldn't be waking up again.

Even as her eyes get heavy and the pain in both her sides increased, she saw through the darkness of the fresh water, a par of glowing yellow eyes staring back at her. Such a bizarre sight was making her laugh, the echo of it getting louder and not caring about it. Now in her final moments, she was going crazy with this place if it had mermaids as well as the idea that the savages worshiping a glowing blue rock as there " _god"_. The laughter stopped when she fall over unconscious. Everything within the cave was beginning to heat up and the cave she thought of as safety would soon be roasting her.

* * *

Just then a pale white hand gripped her from the water's edge, quickly pulling her under as a jet of fire shot out to burn the ceiling of the cavern.

With yellow glowing eyes, the figure take the unconscious woman deeper below the natural lake as the heat shooting out had begin boiling it. Knowing full well that the woman would drown even before bleeding to death. The figure with a wave of the hand had formed an air bubble around the head. The figure swam with the grace and speed of an Olympic champion.

Going through another deeper cave entrance, the figure know that these flooded caverns would be an escape from the fury of the now awakened volcano. Even then the violence of it caused shock waves to the caverns, the figure had dodged the falling rocks and debris. They would soon reach a safe place away from the destruction. The rocks kept falling in the path of the figure but it even stopped once the girl would dead in few hours if they wouldn't hurrying past the increasing dangerous caverns surrounding them.

Then the darkness was giving away to a warm green light as the figure with the wound woman finally surfaced in a beautiful grotto surrounded by countless shipwrecks from different periods of time. Nearby to them was a lone beach with an overhanging waterfall and the foliage of an red jungle forest that surrounded still more wrecks. It was a vast tropical paradise that the explorers never know about within the underworld that was Atlantis.

But then the figure eyed a beautiful 17th century ship floating in the middle of the grotto, the ship was traces of fainted red paint, some pieces of the ship had gone missing, the sails were torn in huge chucks, basicially it seen better days. But to the figure it was the home away from home. It also had quite legendary name to it as well

 _THE WICKED WENCH_

Quickly the figure kicked down the door to the captain's cabin, placing her in the middle of the lavish French oak bed with silk lined sheets. All that lavishness was now being covered in the woman's blood. The figure began working by stripping the woman of her tank top and brown pants, the only response was weakened groin "uhhhh...hhhh"

The injuries she had worried the figure, beginning with trying to found were all that blood was coming from. The figure had moved there rough cold hand to the skin, feeling small rocks on impaling her backside and finally the figure found the cause to it at last. A sharped stone was stacking right out of her left thigh bone, knowing that the woman would feel what the figure was to do, the figure's pale clawed hand closed around her mouth and with the other quickly pull the sharp rock out of her. And taking a hammer from nearby drawer and once again with there hand began to heat it, the figure know that in order to stop the bleeding they had seal it to the thigh bone.

The blonde woman made the loudest scream that echoed through out the entire grotto

After that the figure get out medical bandages to began to work the wounds of the now completely naked woman whose was going in and out of conscious but still in so much in pain to not care where they were, it take quite awhile for this happen but the figure still manged it.

The figure wiped the sweat from there brow, they need to make her sleep and the figure want to Spanish Beach wood cabinet and had a number of synergies filled with pain relief medicine. They picked the orange color one since it worked the fastest and would make the subject get some much need sleep. The figure sent the needle right into the blonde's right shoulder. Finally it was over.

The figure was now covered from head to toe in the woman's blood, with a wave of the hand, the candles surrounding the room lit up, now the figure was standing before an elegant Jamaican mirror the finest made in Port Royal. The shadows playing across the room and the figure was breathing heavily from just saving this woman from her near death, she was selfless like that.

The figure was an tall woman even taller in height to the blonde, she was nude. Gills covered the sides of her neck, The hair was long and colored bright red like the color of blood, the arms had ended in fins like that of a shark and legs too had fins but more similar to that dolphin's. In a weird inhuman way she surpassed even the beauty of the blonde's.

Her hands were clawed sharped dark nails, everything about her seemed really terrifying in appearance if not for her compassion. The long hair covered her face though all but the piecing yellow eyes. She had quickly opened the cabinet to take out a beautiful white porcelain face mask. It fitted perfectly to her face and the glowing eyes dumped into being solid blue eyes.

After all this she need rest and lay in the nearby chair near the bed, before going right to sleep, she heard the blonde woman had began to speak weakly but it was in German and she kept on repeating what she was saying

" _Forgive me...forgive me...forgive me"_

* * *

 **THE** **TRIALS** **OF HELGA SINCLAIR**

The ship fulled with its gold and the remaining crew of the doomed submarine the ULYSSES had departed from the courtyard of the "palace". Two silent male Atlanteans waved goodbye as the ship flew over there heads and disappeared into the cavern entrance .

One of them groaned in anger "By Neptune's beard, i thought they never leave" The male now speaking in an female voice similar to rough Aussie accent. And started to transform as carried there bags they had brought with them and had pull out there own face masks.

As the two transformed back into there natural feminine forms, also pale white and topless but each had different hair color, the one on the right was shorter and had pure green dread locked hair, while the one on the right was taller and her hair was colored bright orange and had been done in a ponytail.

"It's a wonder Cleo as why the hell they brought that disguising thing of a man" The ponytail one talked with her black mask in the "sun"

"I think they called him "Mole" or something like that, i figure he was there pet, you know they no choose but to bring him along, Rikki" answered the green haired one wearing a golden mask sounded Aussie as well to her voice .

They begin to laugh, only to be looked on unknowingly by the tall pale red haired woman.

She had dressed herself in a simple white tied up shirt and long black pants. High black boots. At her side was a thin fencing sword. A blue headband wrapped around her hair, her entire appearance suggested she was a pirate then who she really was to the peoples of Atlantis.

"Well...well, it seems alot of you has been busy while i'll been gone, hasn't it Cleo" her voice was sensual and deep with a bit of sarcasm

"QUEEN SYRENA ...oh great Neptune i haven't seen you" Cleo said in slight surprise to seeing her and Rikki just standing there with her laughing at them

Rikki walked toward there crowned ruler, even before speaking, Syrena had sense trouble in her eyes. "My Queen these... these " _VANDALS"..._ have offend the honor we of the MER left of having." The anger filled her voice that caught the Queen quite a bit.

"Please Rikki just tell me from the beginning about these outsiders!"

* * *

Moments later within the highest tower of what the Mer Women dubbed the " _OLD CITY" ,_

Stood the throne room filled with five marble looking chairs but actually they were cut from the finest coral in the sea.

Rikki and Cleo were sitting facing each other both recounting what these outsiders had done. Syrena walked back and forth, with each step she felt mixture of emotions. One of them of sense of helplessness and even more anger.

As Cleo kept speaking "Then they left in the ship of gold...and i have nothing more to add". She heard her queen groaned

"They found it, don't they?"

Cleo silently answered with a hint of fear in her voice _"The Conduit"_

"GOD DAMN IT...WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY GOING TO DO WITH IT?"

Cleo gasped "You shouldn't yell my quee..."

Rikki infrared "There former leader said he would sell it to the highest bidder to any nation that wanted it "

Now Syrena was angry "No one in there right mind can control that "thing" or need i remind you two in our past long ago that it was use for the purpose of WAR!"

"NO...one of them the puny one, had thought it was both our "god" and "lifeforce" and that we would die without it" Rikki said eyeing the fact that this wouldn't ease there Queen

"Such nonsense like that is what get there soldiers murdered but not ours" Cleo quickly added

"I don't care ether way i just what to know if this has impacted my people?"

Rikki now walked toward the queen rising her hand to gently to the Queen's shoulder, "Kida" her voice broke a bit

"What about Kida?"

* * *

Syrena walked the stone path toward what the outsiders were lead to believe was the throne room of great Atlantis.

In actually it was the Archives, a vast liberty dating back to the time before the _"Great Sinking"_ **_._**

On the steps lid a young girl with dark skin and white hair, other the numerous tattoos covering her face and nearly every part of her body. She was nude but wasn't caring for modesty as the Queen walked quietly near her. The girl's sobs echoed throughout the massive courtyard. Slowly touching her shoulder, Syrena speak.

"Kida...i am sorry about your father" her voice was kind

"You...you should have seen them my Queen...they were monsters all of them." Kida hadn't changed back in her natural form remaining as the "savage" princess, the one form that the crew saw and know her as. She hated it but her voice was still broken up. "Everyone of them just STOOD THERE as my father lay dying. All of them caring about that gift given to the MER by your very own father"

"He and i haven't talk in ages Kida" Syrena said blatantly

"THE GOD NEPTUNE AND DON'T DENY HE'S YOUR FATHER, HIS GIFT HAS BROUGHT NOTHING BUT MISERY AND PAIN TO ME!" she yelled scaring away nearby wild life. As Syrena stood in one spot never moving.

"THE "THING" POSSESSED ME, AND THEY KEPT ME LOCKED IN THERE DAMNED CAGE,

I WITNESSED THE BATTLE AND THEN THE VOLCANO, I THINK HATE THEM EVEN MORE WHEN HE RESCUED ME"

Still calmly Syrena had to ask "Where is the young man that saved you?, i would personally want to thank him"

"THANK HIM!,

HE LEFT WITH THE OTHERS RIGHT AFTER HE TOLD ME THAT MY FATHER WAS DEAD AND WAS THE ONLY ONE TO TALK WITH HIM!"

Her voice changed now "In a blind fit of rage, i gripped his damned book from his hands and throw it into the nearest fireplace" her eyes flashed in rage and her voice told it with pride

Syrena was shocked by this action. She wanted to study this "Shepard's Journal" herself and how whoever write it had known about Atlantis and it's near inner workings but Kida's rage saw to that.

"YOU COULD ONLY THANK HIM FOR KILLING HIS COMMANDER AND THAT BLONDE SHE-DEVIL OF HIS" Kida come back to yelling.

Syrena choose her words carefully "Kida the next time outsiders come to Atlantis we will...'

"WE"...MY Queen will be the very moment that I KILL THEM MYSELF.

You can't reason with animals, they left with there gold THIS TIME. But the next time, every single one of them has to burn for MY FATHER AND FOR ATLANTIS HERSELF. Now please leave me alone Syrena, I don't wish to talk" Kida growled and then turn to run away from the Archives.

In the few days that followed life seemed return to some level of normal for the MER but Syrena know that there would be unrest through out her empire the very moment, anyone learned about her saving the life of at least one of these solders.

And she know that there would be a toll for such an action but she wanted keep that from happening and had to keep her "patient" from ever being discovered.

* * *

Back on her ship, Syrena had found that the blonde woman had been going through a high fever.

The blonde woman's eyes were closed but she was breathing heavily, there was huge amount of sweat soaking the entire bed, as Syrena panicked searching for something to help.

She know it was quite possibly a reaction to one of the medicines to keep the woman from dying while her body went through the slow healing of her massive injuries.

Quickly running to the nearby cabinet, she found that she was running extremely low on any of the fever medicine, having use it beforehand in past few days.

Without thinking, she taken the blue syringe and moved toward the edge of the bed. Her mask clinging tightly to her face as she moved her arm into the woman's shoulder.

Suddenly the woman's eyes opened wide and then even with a high fever saw a strange creature looming over her.

Using her strong arms she grappled the thing by the neck and began a tight hold. In her panic she had knock the mask off.

The look of terror was on her face when she saw the being looking back.

Through the red hair was piecing yellow eyes, the nose on it was turned up, there was no eyebrows and the mouth had been filled with shark like teeth.

* * *

Syrena had to think of something or else she would be chocked to death by this woman. Who only saw a terrifying monster and not her rescuer.

With her webbed hands, she grappled both the woman's arms, and closed her eyes. With a mere touch, she began to enter to the confused memories of the woman before her.

Going through a thousand different images, she just needed to take the most perfect thing in this woman's life and use it to save her own.

Then she saw a beautiful girl laughing and smiling at her and know the very moment this will do.

* * *

Suddenly the terrible monster before her began to change, the taller body become shorter, the red hair was becoming brown colored.

The pale face become checks that were rounder, the lips were filler red. Even the naked form was changing into something familiar for her.

She lightened her grip from the neck. As standing before her was a woman she know wouldn't give up on her no matter the pain, she was feeling.

"Jane" she said with a smile. Jane had answered "Go back to sleep, it's just a bad dream...please trust me, there was no monster here, my darling"

It was a nightmare in her head and soon she know she would wake up looking at that face again

Her eyes get heavy and she needed sleep.

That funny British accent always brought a smile to her face as she fell back to sleep.

* * *

The syringe had done it's job all in the mean time, she was being chocked. Coughing and rubbing her neck, she looked at the mirror.

The blonde woman was in a deep sleep again but Syrena was still in the form of the person before her desired above all else.

She know her race the MER were shape shifters , they were slightly above that of the other MERMAID races since her kind was the so called "Children of Neptune" and they were the first.

Her race was formed when in the decades after the sinking, the men of Atlantis made the foolish action of warring against Neptune himself. Long story short, in his rage the men had to be killed leaving just the women. They were changed into these "beauties" that take on looked like marine life including dolphins, manta rays and sharks in humanoid form with there fins and body type.

And in a strange way they were all beautiful giving off a perfect fashion model look to them.

The reason no one has caught a mermaid was because of the actions of the MER. They could change into anybody or anything they want and the foolish fisherman would none the wiser to there tricks such as a manatee being quite a popular one for them.

But there was a weakness as well for a MER had to play out the form of the one who was seeing it and would always be there deepest desire.

It was like a drug to them, they couldn't help themselves. They wanted, NEEDED the comfort given off by the land dwellers.

This was why a whole slew of people being locked up in an submarine for days on end and the general desire to see a lost primitive race was perfect for the MER.

The MER had to play out the fantasy given off by these explorers even though the truth would be more harder to take.

There were even more noble then say the Sirens off the coasts of Athens,Greece or just as savage as the Pacific nation of the MU people off of Japan and the almost rivalry between them and Atlantis.

It was the nation of MU that Kida had been adapted into and known more about all her life.

They were the bravest warriors on the sea and the most loyal to each other and these they befriended.

The masks worn by these women was a rule set by Neptune himself, the talking off of any of these masks when in there "true form" was a serious offence. They would know whose who just by the color of there masks and the way they talked and moved.

Breaking it meant banishment and that was something Syrena know all to well.

Syrena's hands were shaking just wanting to touch her on the check and to kiss her right then and there on the woman's lips, she wanted to make love to this sick woman.

But she had to stop herself from acting on it, it was wrong to think would that this blonde would return her feelings. Also deep down she know that this form she had taken on was still endlessly waiting for this woman to come back to her on the surface. Tears form from her eyes, for with these desires come also the strong emotions with them.

She can't stop crying, hiding her face or rather Jane's as tears flow down, kneeling next to the bed. She don't even care that she was naked.

Many of her own people had called her the most powerful of there race but deep down she hate that title because her own desires had be surpassed.

This woman was "Jane's" and not "Syrena's", love was something that be denied for something as inhuman as she felt she was.

She know humans would fear and kill her the moment she reveled herself. She wanted to go back to one life were she was fully execpted, the life of a pirate. The one life she still embraced even now although everyone of her friends from these days were long gone.

Both Captain Elizabeth Swann and her pirate nation of Libertatia were now ancient history in the Caribbean but were still fresh in Syrena's mind. The blonde before her would never understand the feeling of she get from these thrilling days and an life living to the fullest even for an "mermaid" like her.

But it was a part of her life that she know deep down she would never reclaim. Her people of Atlantis had come before her own desires and happiness, it was self sacrifice and it was the worst pain to be ever felt in all of the deepest darkest ocean.

* * *

 **WRITER'S NOTE:ATLANTIS THE LOST EMPIRE is one of the most troublesome animated film within the Disney company. I would be the last person even actually going around to writing up an story based on it. But i have and it's more darker in tone to most of the stuff i been writing about at least of terms of Disney stories. And this my first real attempt at M-rated storyline.**

 **But i felt that biggest "loose ends" the film itself has involves the fate of Rourke's partner Lt. Helga Sinclair.**

 **The film NEVER address as to what happened after the "Nothing Personal" scene with MANY reviews simply ether saying "she died" to possibly "fate unknown". Or that she get crashed by the balloon, boiled in magma and that will leave it at that. Which feels like such a waste of a character that filmmakers had also put into the promos like toys and such. With the added fact that i feel they never what out of the way SAYING she was meant to be the "bad guy?".**

 **For anyone who actually watched the film again, her real fate is really unresolved. To a careful observer, that balloon actually falls rather close to Milo and Kida's cage but no sign anywhere of Helga. Which only brings up the fact that she may have escaped the battle in what was still a very painful crippling way.**

 **There are other "Helga survived" stories even here but i felt to make mine different even terms of tone, compared to these. Like the fact that at least some of them Kida and Helga seemed to become instant friends. Which is an improvement over again the film's "loose ended" way of doing it.**

 **SHE WAS THREATENING HER WITH A GUN!**

 **And even if you could say her blowing up the balloon turn the tide of battle. It still had nothing do with friendship and more to do with revenge. The whole film and it's rushed story don't help out ether in terms of what little character development we get of Lt. Sinclair.**

 **Just within the framework they give us the best they could up with "She's this "femme fatale" but really they should been saying really, is "She was actually this "Generic Action Girl!" and that would been much more actuate.**

 **Also unlike the other characters they NEVER have the lazy "campfire backstory" for her, just that the viewer is now SUPPOSED TO BE HATING this woman for her "greed" and for stealing that vague crystal thing and that she should be paying with her life because of that!.**

 **Even for DISNEY that seems like a rather cruel way to end a character that the audience NEVER GET TO KNOW ABOUT!.**

 **This is very wasted potential expectantly from DISNEY unless she was meant to show up later as a "surprise" for the cancelled TEAM ATLANTIS TV series. Like maybe she would be like the "Demona" for it and maybe that could explain her sudden disappearance within the film itself?.**

 **And finally moving on to my story here, i felt that the ending scene at Whitmore's mansion was just REALLY UNFAIR toward the people who just DIED on this trip. And Milo of all people is supposed to be the one who gets rewarded for all this chaos?. Why is Whitmore happy that his pretty"assistant" is now trapped under the Atlantic Ocean?. Again it's a question that the film never wants you to ask because asking it WASN'T on the filmmakers's minds.**

 **I felt i made Preston Whitmore here as someone whose devilishly handsome and younger, so that it would make it seem she had romantic feelings for him. I also decided to him a bit sinister but that's later on.**

 **On to the Atlanteans themselves, i just felt the need for a complete revision on them. Since the usual "natives" i felt wouldn't really appealing enough to me for a story like this.**

 **It was better to be thinking that the film would been interesting if they had gone with the idea of "mermaids" but ones that are completely different from say Ariel. Hence these beings are "hidden" as opposite to the film's vague "dying" race. And all female beings are shape changers.**

 **Which isn't far from several actual mermaid myths in which they could easily go from legs to fins with ease. And could walk around on dry land with no one noticing except for maybe the otherworldly beautiful nature they possess.**

 **Also another big change you could get from this story is the fact that the MER were "putting on a show" for the explorers/mercs. More clearly what there sub conscious mind was thinking of. All of them had there ow idea on what the Atlanteans would like look(beyond again just Milo). And these creatures proved just that. It's just that backfired and the Atlanteans feel like they were being made fools of.**

 **Which is why i felt the need the drop the idea of King Milo here, in this story alone he is not given that name. He is simply "The Professor" simply because many of the Atlanteans wouldn't care. Also for the fact that they WHAT HIS HEAD!.**

 **No matter what good actions he take, he was still one of these "vandals" of there culture. He shouldn't rewarded as such. They see him as being no better then Commander Rourke.**

 **Also i dropped the idea of Kida being a "princess" here. She presented as such but i felt she prove a darker role within the story. The film never really resolved the fact that she never saw her father die and the combination of being possessed by the Heart.**

 **She wouldn't happy about any of this and hence here at least, she ended the thing that was going with Milo. She is totally set in goal of having Atlantis never being invaded again by "outsiders". And she is on the path to revenge by any means possible** **.**

 **Which would spell trouble for the actual Queen of Atlantis in this story, Syrena who went out of her way to save Helga.**

 **I decided to just basically revision the mermaid from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:ON STRANGER TIDES. As opposite to the almost live action version of "Ariel", i just decided make her into a pirate herself. She is pretty much here given more of a superhero status of undersea ruler.**

 **She is basically the demi goddess daughter to Neptune, the Lord of the Seas. I also feel like i don't make her Ms. Perfect ether. She has flaws and since this is an M-rated story, she doesn't mind getting into female same sex relationships,getting drunk or walking around nude(given her and her race's inhuman nature).**

 **Another thing i changed from the movie was the Heart of Atlantis crystal since its so vague. I felt the need just to say "It's a gift to the mermaids from Neptune and also the fact that they stupidly began using it as a weapon and had to hide it" also they have themselves have no idea what it's actual function is and what it's really use for. And how much a danger to not just them but the entire world.**

 **Helga i guess could have the closest to her characterization almost like the film. But i add the fact that no matter what Whitmore and the Ulysses crew said her friends and family they would still looking and searching for her.**

 **Given the fact that she's "missing"also thought the lesbian lover waiting for her is Jane Porter since i felt that she would be rather awesome paring of the two. And even then i give Jane's characterization as being a bit like Lara Croft's. Again once she really enters the story here.**

 **Which i guess is different from any other fics in which Sinclair just founds happiness in Atlantis and leaves it pretty much at that(and that's not a bad idea).**

 **The difference here is that Helga has to earn the Atlantean's resecpt and that's more harder because of Kida. And also the fact that Helga is beginning to see dead crew members and the feeling of total guilt that goes with it**

 **(Believe me it would have made MILO'S RETURN more interesting if the crew would be near basket cases).**

 **The final thing to add is that the story alternates between Syrena and Helga. And the different feelings given what happens and it being an emotional roller coaster(so maybe an trigger warning as well) since the tensions between characters will increase including a lot of crying and yelling involved .**

 **Please comment on what you thank so far with this story**


	2. Under The Sea

The blonde woman's fever had come back within the last couple of days, higher then ever.

Syrena still in Jane's form had began to look high and low for any more of the medicine to at least have it. She had none present and that frustrated her to no end.

"Damn it...no...DAMN IT" Syrena shouted. There was only one other option was looking into her patient's mind.

She known that the woman was in deep enough sleep to at least touch her like this. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand on the woman's forehead.

The moment that happened, Syrena in full true form was on board a gigantic ship, obliviously the people around were moving about doing there various jobs. She know full well that these just pure memories. And she would go about unseen and unnoticed.

Suddenly she saw the blonde woman who was much more healthy looking then she was now. She was dress up in a black sweater and brown pants, she was carrying around a gun hustler with two sleek pistols . She had just get out of her cabin and Syrena followed her down the long hallway until they existed into the lower half of a massive bridge.

What Syrena at first thought of as a ship was really a submarine. One of the biggest she had ever seen. From the portside widows ,it seemed they had just entered into the canyon regain of further Atlantis. Which to Syrena seemed to think was an suicidal move on there part given what was patrolling here.

Turning around she had quickly followed the blonde up some nearby steps to the helm of the sub standing next to an massive man in uniform.

With a wave of her hand, she had freeze the image before her. There had be something here within this place that would help her now.

Then looking over the blonde's shoulder, she saw a med kit station at the other end of the bridge. About to run toward it, she felt a jolt coming.

In a flash an flood of memories filled with images and vast amount of emotions come over her.

 _ **JANE WHY DO YOU LOVE ME?**_

 _HOW THESE THAT MATTER?_

 ** _IT_** **_IS_** ** _TO ME BECAUSE AM NOTHING MORE THEN A DAMAGED WOMAN_**

 _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FATHER_ ("Kida!")

 ** _NO ONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING_**

 ** _THE MOMENT I ENTERED THIS PLACE, DOCTOR SWEET I BEEN UNEASY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?_**

 _THERE'S NOTHING TO BE NERVIOUS ABOUT LIEUTENANT, ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS LET IT GO_

 _YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A MONSTER_

 ** _I AM NOT A MONSTER_**

 _WHEN WE LEAVE ON THIS TRIP, WHITMORE WILL NONE THE WISER, IS IT THAT RIGHT MEN_

 _YES SIR_

 ** _NOTHING PERSONAL_**

She had to taken her hand off of the blonde. All she get out of all that was that these people had brought enough supplies including medicine, she just need to find it.

* * *

Gartering and making enough ice packs, Syrena need to at least slow the fever down for least an couple of more weeks. Placing them around her body. The cold was something the blonde would have take at the very least for now. Until Syrena returned.

Heading into the vast volcano shaft were the battle over Kida had taken place.

Syrena had brought along Cleo and Rikki to least survey what was left over. Even through her mask, the Queen groined this was not supposed to be in her kingdom. Men acting like children and destroying themselves right in her own backyard. She could have reasoned with both the Professor and his Commander but this showed there was no reasoning. Kida would still suffer. She know at least several Atlanteans had also joined in also just to save her.

Syrena personally don't care about the Conduit but she did care about Kida.

Moving past these thoughts, Syrena had gone though the remains of several of the army trucks. So far she just find burned rationed canned goods including several cans of tuna. But no signs of medkits. She know what caused at least some of the damaged.

The Martags which were basically the ancient fish vehicles of the Old City but they were never meant to be use for any type of war.

And somehow these morons get a hold of them and had used them recklessly as toys.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Cleo scream echoed through out the shaft as Syrena and Rikki come running to the huge pile of wreckage near the huge balloon had fallen. Cleo run into Rikki's arms still sobbing, the sight before them was gruesome. In the remains of the small biplane was an solder still clothed in the huge green overcoat, the right hand was pointing upward even though it was showing complete bone as only one half was an skeleton going straight down to the right leg. But the other half was still completely flesh with the uniform hung tight round. The shaft were the battle take place had weird way of preserving rotting things.

Cleo had run to the other side of the shaft just to get away from that sight.

But Syrena and Rikki remained behind, Rikki felt even though her own mask that Syrena was thinking.

She turned to Rikki and her voice was dead serious in its tone "Rikki I went you to go and get a reserve for an very important job"

"What job?"

"Burial detail, these...PEOPLE shouldn't be left here to rot, just as some damn remainder of some battle that my people had no real stake in. And I want to remained anyone not to cross me in this matter, is that understood!"

"Yes my Queen"

Rikki as she ran out know that she could been making reference to Kida whose growing hatred had troubled Syrena lately and it was getting worse.

"My Queen, you should come and see this" Cleo shouted as Syrena ran to her side. She had found within the darkness of the shaft an collapsed piece of old road and her kneeling beside some very notable tire trucks.

"I believe this were our visitors entered My Queen" Kneeling as well ,Syrena had felt the smoothness of it was different enough from the hard rocks that lay around the volcano. "I can only guess they take the old invasion highway system as if that was only way to get here" Cleo said and the Queen agreed.

"How many miles is that roadway again?" Syrena questioned

"Am guessing 15 or 16 miles give or take three days and nights rest" Cleo answered. Now Syrena was hopeful in needing to trace her patient's steps in how she come to Atlantis.

"Cleo, am sorry to do this but you must go with Rikki and the others, and come back here to bury the dead..."

"But My Queen..."

"Don't question me please, that's a order. Now am going to hike the path were they come from and if anyone asked tell them I on vacation alright."

"Of course you're majority" Cleo had answered before running back to the Old City. As Syrena began climbing the rocky walls leading up to were the road fall in.

* * *

Syrena had discovered the burned remains of an camp site further down the path. It seemed that bad luck was fast becoming this group's motto ether that or "fewer songs more explosions" having disturbed the nest of the cave fireflies. To bad too since the MER get best honey like food from there nests near the city.

Hiking the path for once she hadn't taken in years, she had refresh her memory since these caverns would go on endlessly. But the tire trucks were still easy markers. As well as to were they camped. What take several days for them was manly few short days for Syrena.

She also remembered from old history that the roadway was build not by the Atlanteans but an invading force from MU. They felt like challenging the MER women and with each step had been close to there goal. When it failed though they left behind both the road with it's interesting strange markers of statues and the monstrous pack animals, whose decadents now roamed the roadway.

After one day of rest near toppled over giant statue which had the usual sign of the visitors handiwork manly the small of TNT, the traces she kept noticing had still made her uneasy. She was thinking of why would these men ever have needed for a show of force to them.

It was troubling in the memories, in now the sights and smalls of how far they traveling and the final battle and her patient.

Her people had done truly nothing to these people beforehand and yet they still acted like unruly children and treated her people like an culture that needed "saving" or some false sense of rediscovery.

Or stealing an weapon not one of them would have any control over.

The MER give them the fantasy but in the end all the visitors had brought was pain and the real only victim in all of this was Kida. The Queen felt that Kida's could be still be reasoned with before any more of her people get caught up in her hatred and the real trouble would began.

Not far off ,she could smell fresh seawater and after going though the mouth of an gigantic golden fish statue. She had finally reached the cove were they must have entered.

* * *

In the flashes of the blonde there were meant to be two submarines that were parked near the shore for which the trucks and weapons come from.

Nothing was there now, Syrena felt very confused. None of her people had known where these people entered and yet there was no trace of the subs. She groined in frustration. "What the hell happened?" she questioned even though she had no one to answer her. They would have the med kits somewhere onboard.

The other thing to do was see the massive submarine itself, taking off her outfit all but her mask, she drove head first.

The darkness of the canyon was all around her but she kept going seeing through it with her glowing eyes.

She saw signs in the sand of the valley of where oblivious wreckage hit the sea floor but there was no wreckage anymore, she however saw huge variety of junk that laying around. This must have come from the smaller subs at first.

Swimming closer to where possibly the submarine should be, she noticed burn marks in some nearby rocks. She finally figure out what cause them to choose the wrong path to Atlantis in the first place.

The Levitation, a out of control machine that had been terrorizing Atlantis and had almost killed Syrena twice in the brief battles against it.

But it too was strangely absent and that terrified her without knowing why.

Finally she reached where the massive submarine must have gone down but only the impression of it was left on the seafloor.

She had looked along the seafloor at least where it landed to find just a number of disused junk lying around. Unused machine guns, ammo castings, radios, more vehicles including a very menacing mini-sub in the shape of an shark armed with machine gun turrets. _"These people were really to war with us anyway_?" but she had to get that out of her mind since it would trouble her to no end.

Then something caught her eye, a waterproof beg with engraved in giant letters

 **SWEET**

She realized it must been the name of the doctor in the visions. Quickly gripping it she know it should something close to the medicine she needed.

Also catching her attraction was a smaller brown waterproof backpack with the initials **H.S**

Wanting to avoid the Levitation she had swam back the way she come. Finally with greater speed ended back to the shore with items in hand.

* * *

She was right about Sweet's beg having found at least enough liquid medicine that could combat the high fever.

Tipping the blue colored syringe she had put it right into the blonde's left shoulder. Now the Queen could now have wait until she know if she was successful or not.

Taking a chair she had to go through the **H.S** backpack, what was in it had made her smile.

First a diary that finally told her right on the cover who the blonde's name was

 **HELGA KATRINA SINCLAIR**

In Syrena's most seductive tone "Hello my dear Sinclair" she was giggling like a little girl just saying that from across her nearby desk to the large bed. Knowing clearly that the woman couldn't hear her.

But still it was worth trying, she then moved on to the other stuff within including two photographs,

one had been two smiling women dancing around a tribe of native people, the taller blonde still wearing a warm weather military uniform and the other a much shorter brown haired women whose dress was basically a yellow leopard skin. In the back of the photo she found in writing:

 **LT. SINCLAIR AND MS JANE PORTER DURING THE ANNUAL GOLDEN LION FESTIVAL OF THE WARISI**

The second photo seemed to be more serious of three uniform females standing before a commanding officer who had been handing out three medals. In the back she read who they were

In the middle and tallest was Helga, looking the most serious but the other two were interesting to say the least. One of them was much shorter and like alot less build then Helga and in the face she was more Egyptian looking and even cat like simply because her eyes seemed longer. A look of pride was on her face

 **YEOMAN FIRST CLASS AMELIA STEVENSON**

The other seemed around the same height as Helga and with a boy's haircut, she was Chinese and seemed to feel the most honored in her face.

 **FLIED LIEUTENANT FA MULAN**

* * *

Next she began to read the diary of this woman. The first half for the most part was written in English mainly her thoughts on the fact that she come from a proud German military family and she couldn't live up to it. The madding hours of the intense training in hand to hand combat and weapons training. And the time feeling that her father wouldn't approve of her bisexually and how that would anger her to no end and had to hide it.

There were parts of the diary that written in full German but these entries were highly emotional, many times she felt had to leave the army.

Nothing was meaningful anymore to her in life, she even seemed to be working through something like a identity crisis. Her father's almost insane training of her, the fact that her mother was excepting twins, and even the fact that there funds had almost dried up several times already. She seemed to forced to live as an hardened solder until she died.

The next German entries sound a lot less depressing since arriving, in London where she had met the daughter of her father's longtime friend.

Jane Porter who was on her way to studying up as a scientist and working with animals.

Sinclair it seemed to be the one who quite by accident fell in love with her, here she was this nearly prefect solder had the stupidest thing, when she knocked over a orange liquid on to the dress of the nearby student during Professor Porter's lecture on the habits of gorillas.

" _OHHHHHHHH YOU CLUMSY FOOL!"_ she seemed to remember just how naturally angry she was.

She forced to stay at the college just apologizing to the student. The first time meeting her was the fact that she had a shouting match with her. With the girl winning out by make her get a new one.

Since it was quite a expensive dress, the girl had forced her to go with her. It was Helga's first in the city of London and she did feel like a fool. It was when they were in the dress shop that only then did they found out each other's names.

 _"Am Sinclair and you are..."_

 _"Jane...Jane Porter...my dear little solder "_

The rest seemed to be a filtration going on between the two. The entries really get to Syrena in just how much out of depth Helga was with first a quick friendship happening over the course of seven days. Then the sudden way that Jane had taken her out to dinner in one of more expensive restaurants, even finishing each other's food and making loving eyes at each other.

It seemed like a school girl's crush over the wrong woman and she did know that would end suddenly. Much like her other pursuits.

But Jane wasn't them and rather glowing page seemed to suggest why...

 _Am going to end this right now!. I have to give into the fact that i need to be my father here._

 _Then the door rung and she it was raining outside. I barely noticed it seemed_

 _"Am going to end this right here and now" she said. Hadn't i already said that_

 _I can't let catch cold so i allow her into the apartment, me and my father staying at. "Why are we ending this?" i questioned_

 _"Mainly because YOU ARE THE MOST PIG HEADED NARROW MINDED NON...FEMINIST IN THE HISTORY OF ALL MANKIND..._

 _AND...I can't really live without you smiling at all that...stuff...thing going on between us"_

 _I can't tell if she wanted to kiss me or shoot me but i wasn't caring ether way._

Syrena wouldn't know what make of any of that ether but love is a strange thing. The rest of the diary was just filled with blink chapters until the very last page.

 _ATLANTIS...ATLANTIS._

 _I can't get out of my head now since the Eider Professor went missing since we get the Journal last year._

 _On Whitmore's orders , we go back to Iceland, Rourke and all of us will search for him._

 _It was him that the tear out the page of the crystal. But weirdly he kept calling it "The Heart of Atlantis" or something like that._

 _He was the one who wanted us to do this and Rourke seemed rather disappointed since the news broke._

 _Around Iceland i keep on seeing them following us, these strange white "things" in masks always near water. Maybe am just imaging them but there unnerving in a way._

 _I haven't told Sweet, he's a good man but i don't want him to think I gone completely insane._

 _They are also calling me by my name. I can't talk to them since they disappear like ghosts._

 _I know they can't be real because if they real, they know how much i now am personally fearing now to go to the bottom of the ocean._

 _But am the only one seeing them. What do they want from me?_

 _AM AN SOLDER...am a solder_

* * *

Syrena can't clearly figure out what she was telling with that entry. But maybe the fact that the mysterious journal had somehow called a pod of the MER to Iceland.

Everything she learned about Helga was very confusing to her, she seemed to be funny, charming and very loyal. And yet there had been this darkside of trying to prove herself even at the cost of losing a bit of whatever made her human.

This seemed to be who ever pushing her into there direction but her own. If wasn't her father, it was "Rourke" and if wasn't him then it was Whitmore.

It seemed to be the only one that made her feel "honest" and being most like herself was Jane Porter but that woman wasn't in Atlantis.

Syrena had taken all the stuff that pull out from the backpack and began to put them back in. She had the feeling that her patient wouldn't be so kind when she learned that someone had been going her personal items.

She had placed both SWEET's beg and the backpack into the small back area of her cabinet. She may have been a pirate but she had the feeling she needed to play dumb once Helga had waken up. And she need to earn this woman's trust first.

She had pulled back partly the covers of the bed. Syrena to know about every part of Helga. She hadn't focus on her legs yet.

Syrena with her cold hands began to feel Helga's legs since it seemed the pain had to originate there. She hated the fact that she was always right.

The mere act of just touching the right or left seemed to make her jolt and cried out abit. Fortunately Syrena had on hand a natural remedy.

Although not native to Atlantis but the darkest deepest parts of the Mariana Trench, was a green glowing plant that when smashed into a jell and rubbed gently would at least make the person with paralysis walk again.

But there was no real use for it since all her people had tough scales and gills that could withstand the pressures of the ocean. But her patient was not a mermaid and she felt the need to make her better then new.

As Syrena get it out of the cabinet, it give off a rather pleasant smell like undersea flowers.

Rubbing her hands in the jell, she began to rub the right leg. Her fingers felt the leg bones had cracked as if she broke them after falling from a great height.

This girl right in front of her was a tragedy all her life even with her looks. But the Queen had felt the need to aid anyone in her kingdom.

The troubling facts going through her head had be answered once this girl wakeup.

Alternatively she would have just taken her back to the surface and were she would been given the best medical treatment. Given the insane level of injuries but someone had thought it better if she died right in the middle of a volcano shaft.

And have the Queen be the only one not caring what she did but saving her from the same injuries. The only flaw for Syrena is how much would put her faith into other people and to let them make up for any past mistakes, she had done that already with Rikki.

But Helga wasn't Rikki but that don't matter to her.

She began to giggle a little as she finished rubbing the leg and foot of her patient. Washing her hands in nearby bowl, she saw how the jell on the leg began to glow a soft light. She heard a moan but this time it seemed pleasant and not painful.

In the "morning" she would be working on the left leg.

Walking out to the deck, Syrena felt she could finally get her sleep by heading into the bottom of the grotto.

Climbing up the mast of the ship, even with her mask on she felt like smiling. Reaching she balanced herself on the railing and with her outstretched arms and head tiled looking down into the water.

She simply jumped off and to human eyes was preforming a professorial high drive and she was laughing as she did it.

But to her this was just another day as Queen. Impacting the water with prefect skill she began her swam down to toward the bottom. She earned the rest at the very least.


	3. The awakening of Helga Sinclair

**_HELGGGGGGGGAAAAAA_**

 **She awaken with a start. She put her hands to her head.**

 **"What a nightmare" she sound a bit weak but that must have been the hours put into working for this mission.**

 **Now fully opening her eyes, she noticed she was in her cabin on the _ULYSSES._ How had they not reached Atlantis yet?.**

 **She need to talk to Rourke immanently. Getting out from her bed, she seemed to be already wearing her black sweater and brown pants, but her guns were gone. They couldn't have been misplaced.**

 **"Someone's head will roll for this" now was not the time to piss her off if they were playing a joke. Like that bastrad Mole.**

 **She now run into the narrow corridor, then she realized that there was a red alert going on. But the sound was turn off.**

 **Something was very wrong but she can't figure out what. Helga had look around to see anyone on duty and yet no one was there.**

 **"Come on...** **come on...**

 **ROURKE...**

 **COOKIE...**

 **VINNIE...**

 **ANYBODY?"**

 **she was yelling, still nothing. Then she** **head low voices coming from the mess hall. She was at least happy that someone was on board.**

 **"Will someone tell what the hell is going on here?" She said with that authority that made a commanding officer. Only to discover the hall was empty.**

 **This ship was built for 200 crew members not just her. "Oh GOD...OH GOD" she was beginning to panic.**

 **Then she felt the sub shaken. There had to be someone steering it, now she was just running towards the bridge.**

 **Getting closer and closer to it, she began to hear what sound like a woman singing**

 ** _YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME_**

 ** _WE PILLAGE PLUNDER,WE RIFLE AND LOOT_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _WE KIDNAP AND RAVAGE AND DON'T GIVE A HOOT_**

 ** _DRINK UP HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME_**

 ** _WE EXTORT AND PILFER, WE FILCH AND SACK_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES,YO HO_**

 ** _MARAUD AND EMBEZZLE AND EVEN HIGHJACK_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES,YO HO_**

 ** _YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME_**

 ** _WE KINDLE AND CHAR AND IN FLAME AND IGNITE_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _WE BURN UP THE CITY AND WE'RE REALLY A FRIGHT_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME_**

 ** _WE RASCALS AND SCOUNDRELS, WE'RE VILLAINS AND KNAVES_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _WE'RE DEVILS AND BLACK SHEEP, WE'RE REALLY BAD EGGS_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _WE'RE BEGGERS AND BLIGHTERS AND NE'ER DO WELL CADS_**

 ** _DRINK UP ME HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _AYE BUT WE'RE LOVE BY OUR MOMMIES AND DADS_**

 ** _DRINK UP HEARTIES, YO HO_**

 ** _YO HO, A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME_**

 **Helga found it was a young teenage girl in a sailor's uniform who been singing the song in a low unemotional voice. She seemed have ignored they were on a deserted submarine, and she was the one steering the helm. By the look of it they were heading to ever deeper waters.**

 **The entire bridge was darkened and she still can't figure out why the ship was on red alert.**

 **"Audrey?"**

 **The figure don't seemed to be to answering to that name, but she was talking to the second in command. She can't make out the figure given much of the blackness of the trench surrounding them through the massive widows.**

 **"Don't found that song pretty much fitting to the so called "mission" we're been on"**

 **Helga was shaking her head wildly "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"**

 **"My mother raised me on that song, she said that Redmond Island in the Caribbean was founded by pirates...much like us. They felt the need to...hide the truth"**

 **"Listen i just need to found Rourke"**

 **"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH..." When the girl laughed, the whole submarine shake again. "Your're nothing...but a scared little girl COMMANDER Sinclair...you found his body by driving into the lava and then tell me how "good" he's feeling"...**

 **"Scared little..."**

 **"Because of you..."PEOPLE"...i CAN'T GO HOME!"**

 **" It's not my fault"**

 **"THEN WHOSE FAULT IS IT THEN?...**

 **YOUR'RE NOTHING TO ME"**

 **Helga don't feeling like answering to her. She heard the young girl laugh abit more**

 **"I been trying to get my head around the fact of why we take this path...**

 **Then i realized YOU and you're partners WHAT US TO DIE"**

 **"Die?" Helga seemed not like where this heading. Even in the eerie darkness the young sailor's voice want from unemotional to something like uncontrollable rage.**

 **"It'sssss the moment when that thing began attacking...and even in my final breath...**

 **of WANTING TO SEE YOU SUFFER, EVERY SINGLE THING IN MY LIFE WAS PREFECT UNTIL YOU ENTER IT"**

 **Helga had to run away from this girl but her left leg for some reason give out. She hit the stairs feeling each step until she landed on her back.**

 **The shadowy sailor kept tight to the helm still talking as if nothing was happening. "BY THE END, DEAR FRAULEIN JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED..." The helmswoman happily said "...AND THE PUNISHMENT THAT GOES WITH IT"**

 **The glass over the bridge section broke as Helga was caught in tight embrace. As she been taken out of the submarine screaming, she two gigantic glowing eyes moving closer to her. She know what it was staring back.**

 **The Levitation**

 **As it held her closer to it's face, it kept on saying one word**

 _ **HELGGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**_

* * *

She awakened nearly screaming. She was breathing harder then usual, and her eyes were trying to adjust to the brightness of the morning light from the widow. She kept on touching her chest. And each time there was pain

Why was she feeling so weak and every time the mere act of moving her arms cause her pain?. Then she saw a plate of bread and some glass of water on the dresser next to the bed, without thinking she began to eat the bread and drinking up the glass. She heard the door opening and then closing beyond line of sight but kept on eating

"OHHH man if i had known you were awake, i would have brought some more food" The voice was female and at least sound friendly.

She turned her head to see were it come from. All she could see was the darkness of the rest of the room but her side had the bright sunlight.

Helga was beginning to realize something and answered the voice.

"Am I... in prison?"

"Honestly these any of this look like a prison to you?" The voice cheerfully answered back

Helga had put down her food on this rather lavish and expensive looking bed. Slowly looking around she found that every detail of her room was quite grand and also very old fashioned. And yet there was nothing old about it. She seemed to step into another period of time with just being in this room.

"Is this a...ship?"

Another cackle come from the voice but now to Lt. Sinclair, the figure was now moving around the room and never nearing the widow.

"Yes" the figure simply said. "It's actually the best ship in all of Atlantis"

"Atlantis!", she was still here. She was just breathing much harder simply because of that. Tears were forming in her eyes, everything she could be remembering up until about when she get hurt was for nothing. Some of her crew mates had still be here mainly she hoped the Professor and his bride Kida.

Kida that someone she don't feel like meeting ever again.

The sudden mood swing within her had get the figure to move out of the shadows.

What she saw was not the native white haired darkened skinned Atlantean, she had been seeing since arriving but someone entirely even shockingly different from that.

Mainly a taller buster woman with red hair, she seemed to wearing a bandanna over it. Her clothes were not the simple blue shorts and blue tank top of the native Atlanteans but a black shirt with cut out green shorts. Sinclair also noticed the woman was carrying a broad sword in golden handle belt around the shorts.

Helga was most shocked to see that this woman was wearing a full face mask, for which only the blue eyes were looking at her.

"Am sorry but is the mere fact that you're still in Atlantis upset you?"

Helga was in a bit of a panic just seeing this woman, that she answered in gutted German

" _Yes, can't you see I am not wanting to be here!"_

The figure give a little laugh before answering quite equally in German

 _"I should have not startled you as I did. Forgive my appearance_

 _But I wanted to see how well you doing from such massive injuries."_

 _"I will only come in now when you're are asleep or check to see if you're need food"_

The figure had moved away from her side bed to the front door of the cabin. Helga was startled by just the gentle kindness that this strange woman had given her even if she don't deserve it not after what she did.

And also the fact that never once did the Professor ever make mention, that would ever be other types of people living here beyond just the natives.

The Professor, she felt like punching him if she saw him again. He had be here still since it was his dream to go to Atlantis not hers. Just thinking about him made her head hurt and still every time she moved was like sharp needles going through her. When pain come before she would try to shake off but this time it was overbearing.

She could only remember bits and pieces of something happening to her but don't feel like recalling it now.

As the figure moved Helga had grabbed her by the hand "Wait, what's your name? I mean what do i call you?"

The figure giggled and answered "My name is Syrena, now what's yours?"

"Helga Sinclair" she said since the Lieutenant part seemed to feel meaningless for some reason.

"Helga, a quite beautiful name for a quite beautiful woman, if i say so myself." Syrena said in almost sedative tone.

Closing the cabin door, this "Syrena" was someone trying to play nurse maid to a woman like Helga. Who felt once again like she don't need it, but the way her body was including the pain can't be stopped by just her.

She was going to rest for a while until she figured out what she should do. Any other thoughts including what was happening with her former crew members and the fate of Princess Kida had be avoided simply because of the pain she would get. Also the greed that cause her to be in this mess in the first place had also be gone from her head.

She know that down here money was meaningless and that the coast for her was already to high

* * *

On the deck of the ship, Syrena had noticed two different MER women standing around. One had unique black and silver hair in short bun and wearing a jade mask, the other had long blonde hair with a golden crown and the mask she wore was yellow colored with seashells embedded into it.

"Lyla, Mimi, what brings you here?"

Lyla in her jade mask had answered in a slight Greek accent " I was hoping my Queen that you would be apart of the next royal counsel meeting"

"Counsel meeting!" Syrena had forgotten all about the special meetings since her patient's health was on top of her mind. All other things like actually running Atlantis was secondary. Syrena put her hands over her head, this was going tough given her patient was now awakened fully.

Mimi had rushed over her Queen's side thinking she been ill.

"Are you okay your highness?" Mimi's soft voice had echoed out through out the grotto.

"Oh yes of course, it's just that have been so much on my mind lately and working here alone. I may feel like not going to..."

There was a sudden sound like a plate being broken from inside the captain's cabin follow what sounded like several items braking. Mimi and Lyle were suddenly curious as what was inside but Syrena had rushed to the door. "Is there anyone else here my Queen?"

"Oh...um YES, a royal admirer who had...suddenly taken quite sick after eating possibly some bad jellyfish within my cabin!"

"Oh well I thought you banned any of us from eating jellyfish?" Mimi said which to shocked Syrena

"OF COURSE I DID, but there's still no need to bothered the poor little sick girl in there, you could say she NEW to this area of our fair topical Atlantis"

Lyla seemed to agreed "Mimi please let the Queen work things out and I hope see you wore your best, your highness when the counsel meets tomorrow."

Syrena waived goodbye as the two Mers had jumped over the side of the bow. Swimming back to the Old City.

Once she know they were gone, she quickly get into the cabin only to found Helga had been trying and failing to get out of her bed. She also seemed to be in complete panic when the two MER had arrived. The items on top of the small dresser were knocked down and broken on the floor. She was moving but it to it cause her shake violently.

Syrena know she wasn't ready to walk just yet, and tried to calm her down.

"I NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Helga yelled and the look on her face being a pure angry sneer.

"Am sorry but you can't" Syrena said calmly

"WHY NOT?"

"Mainly the fact that you're nearly broke both your legs and you're whole body been through a massive trauma!"

Helga's face went from anger to shock, tears again been forming. Syrena could understand that she can't quite get what been happening to her for the past few weeks.

"Can you at least tell me as how you get these injuries?"

"NOOOOOOOOO!. I am NOT A GODDAMN CHILD, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Helga was tearing up when saying this. Syrena still calm had to her down but just felt like hugging seemed to the best effect. Helga had began just uncontrollably sobbing at that point. The Queen had touched her hair and had some calming words to speak to a woman she herself know so little about. Syrena did know that right now she had be the only friend in the world to what was supposed to be a tough as nails solder.

But Syrena was always know that looks were always deceiving as she speck in German

 _"I know you're not"_

* * *

The grand chamber of the palace was a rather simple room compared to any part. A huge long stone table designed with beautiful embedded pieces of coal and gold. The chairs were salvaged from a 16th century Spanish vessel with sharp golden handles.

Above the chamber was a magnificent giant diamond giving off a warm yellow light.

Around the table was the Queen's top aids, and advisers debuting the other hot topics that seemed to be plaguing Atlantis

"My Queen, who are going to invite to the annual Moon Pool Gala in the New City?" Lyla questioned to Syrena "Oh anyone really, as long as they don't design the dress themselves and then forced me to wear it like that godawful jellyfish outfit!" she been eyeing Cleo when saying this.

The "New City" of Atlantis was a more modern and less ancient then the Old City. It was more of a hob for everything from the latest high technology to the vast fun entertainment central areas. It had everything the Old City lacked and yet the Queen still found homes in both.

She had been going to these grand gala balls for years, giving speeches and still having the same feeling as before. Complete and utterly bored

The conversions were getting long and boring and Syrena just felt like sleeping. She had finally calm down and that was only the start of excusing week, she never felt like this tried so very long.

She was going to sleep for the rest of the meeting.

Then bursting through the door with now a almost elegant walk come Kida. Now in her true form of white skin that was covered in yellow tattoos. Her hair was still white and shorted. Her outfit even outshine the Queen's black naval uniform with being a blue sapphire colored low cut dress. She wore a pearl coated crown around her head.

Finally her mask was half black on the right and half white on the left. In short she was more stunning then Syrena ever was.

"Am sorry that am late to this meeting, please forgive me" Kida said with again a note of elegance. The confused conversion stopped the moment she entered.

Rikki surprising enough had cleared her throat "What brings the MU princess to our doorstep?", Kida just eyed her. Without a word she a unrolled a map of the surface world.

"Counsel members, I bring news about the outsiders"

Syrena was slowly opening her eyes, ever curious as to were she was go with this.

"I have had one of the our best spies within the MER pod to follow the rescue boat and trace to there home of origin. She said that they stopped HERE!" Pointing her fingers at the east coast of North America.

"Washington D.C, there nation's capital and upon much difficult confusion of roads and tracking, finally saw the outsiders staying at the home of one Preston B. Whitmore. A man of some massive importance around the area."

Now Syrena's turn to question "What exactly is your point here Kida?"

"My Queen if we must act now. I propose we head into this "D.C" area and with Rikki heading the troops that we arrest ever single member of this group. And bring them back to Atlantis to stand trial for crimes against us" Stating this in a matter of fact way. Kida awaited the counsel's answer.

Syrena voice was shaking uncontrollably with every member feeling nervous and tense. "And...and just HOW many troops of ours are we talking about?"

Kida laughed a bit although the Queen wasn't founding it funny at all, "About 2000 of our best shock troops, my Queen"

The moment she said that Syrena sit up to hit her fist on the table. "THAT'S A SIGN FOR WAR"

"We...will...take every one of them and drag them to the deepest darkest dungeons to await there fate" Kida said in a calmer way

"WHAT YOUR TELLING AMERICA IS THAT THE MER IS UNHINGED DANGEROUS ENEMY THAT NEEDS TO DESTROYED!" Syrena never felt such rage like this

"What wrong with that?"

"I'll...tell you Kida exactly how wrong it sounds. We are just going to march into there Nation's Capital and take there citizens, they will have not just one submarine after us but about 1000 million of them. They will start blowing Atlantis and you and i WILL DIE!"

"They INVADE US FIRST, my Queen I say we return the favor" Kida was still calm even if the Queen was not.

"THEY WILL BLOW US STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

"The outsiders will PAY FOR THERE CRIMES HERE. I will have my trial and then all of Atlantis will be thanking me for it" Kida said as she stormed out of the counsel chamber

Syrena stood shaking in anger "This counsel is dismissed" the rage still in her voice. As all of the counsel members, she looked at Cleo

"Cleo i just need to talk for a second"

"Yes your highness?"

"When...Rikki's troops began there burial duty, i want you to go to see the Priestesses of Neptune"

Cleo don't seemed to understand "My Queen, none of those invaders were Atlantean"

"They DIED on our soil, there bodies may be gone but there souls are not. I want you to tell the Priestesses to began the sacred rites and to honor them as they would any of our fallen sisters." Syrena said, her voice broken still with a bit of anger and sadness "That's also a royal command given by me"

"I fully understand my Queen" Cleo bowed

As Cleo run out, Syrena know that Kida would target Lt. Sinclair first. Her "trial" was in actually nothing more then blind raging revenge.

It would tear Atlantis apart and she feared not even the surface world would safe ether from it.


	4. Ghosts of Atlantis

Helga had get to used to her bed. Even if she also had to get even used to the strange mysterious masked _"pirate"_ that kept her company. Everything about Syrena was a mystery to her, like how she get to Atlantis before the Ulysses or why she was even staying here.

She had remained herself, that she come here for a crystal on a whim of a mad old adventurer and that her commander based his whole scheme around him. They come to Atlantis get that "treasure".

Now she now felt like a complete fool for it with nothing except being labeled, as anything more then a heartless "villain" by quite possibly her team mates. She don't know why she felt like a villain but it just a feeling she get now.

Helga tried her best to get around the fact that she still had mixed feelings for the Professor. After all she had broken into his home and forced him basically met with Whitmore a man about the same young age as him. And a man would prove him with the "best of the best" team for going to Atlantis.

Although she never know what Preston would get out of this deal, but all she and Rourke wanted was the money for selling this bizarre crystal and yet even then that all went to hell.

And she felt like the team she been with for years now had sudden change of heart by just feeling sorry not for the Atlanteans but the Professor. To her eyes she don't know if wanted even join him a bit but the mixture of greed and not caring add into the factor of not joining anyways.

Which was a big mistake on her part, she groaned in anger on she was being so stupid for that.

Surprisingly enough it was Mr. Whitmore who suggested that this expedition be a army based one. And have it armed with the latest and best in the filed

She never thought that anyone would actually die on this trip but deep down she felt it was her fault since most of the crew of the Ulysses had no idea of the "plan". They did there job but with that giant thing that crushed there sub like a egg shell then the fireflies in the cavern and finally covering what was supposed to be Rourke and her's escape. Originally the whole team but that nut job saw that never happened.

Those men and women in green masks and uniforms still lost there lives in that cavern that day and it was her former crew that did it without any guilt.

And she still couldn't figure out how she escape all that but she did.

Maybe she thought with the Professor possibly still being here, she could reason with Kida but again deep down the way she showed herself off to him in Atlantis. Acting basically like Rourke himself had taught her to act and feel.

It be amazing if her own mother would disown her right then and there given the fact that she was actually condemning a entire race to die because it would raise the price of the crystal.

Now she was laying in some bed with, her legs that don't feel like moving and the fact that now and then she felt sick to her stomach. There were punishment enough for her but the thoughts of the Professor were weighing in.

Such as the fact that she was imaging him as the new King of Atlantis, a nerdy little loser whose greed was entirely different from her's.

It wasn't the money and it wasn't the princess herself, it was the culture of Atlantis that drew him in. He had to have it to himself and not only would he have it, he would tame it and shape it into his own little bubble of a world. All of his former bosses at the Smithsonian could go straight to hell and he would be left with a new world at his feet.

He would make Atlantis into ether something entirely peaceful or into the darkest most dangerous empire in the world. Her mind raced at the thought that the nations she mentioned would be targeted by the Atlanteans and then destroyed.

This was why she had mixed feelings about him, she had known his grandfather well enough but on this trip his grandson she barely know he existed. And somehow he get both her team mates and the Atlanteans rallied up enough to kill all of the remaining armed crew members of the Ulysses.

This little dweeb in her eyes now was even more like Rourke then any of the crew members in so many slight small ways.

And worst of all he would get rewarded for his actions

She know deep down that things like second chances would never happen with her.

* * *

Syrena had started the habit of sharping her rather large impressive collection of swords and knives. Basically using smooth stone from one of the many beautiful rivers that run through out Atlantis. There was nothing better to do then making sharping and then doing some fencing with them, they were apart of her.

The Queen seemed to enjoy working herself out with waving her sword around and acting completely crazy with it. The slashing, the way her feet moved and the foot work of just moving back and forth and the sounds of yelling like a mad woman!. She loved it

Before 17th century she was different from she was now. She was the daughter of Neptune the sea god, the lord of all of Atlantis, she was the princess who commanded the largest mermaid army in the entire world. There used to be no such thing as failure with her, being a demi goddess meant powers beyond those of mere mermaids and the land dwellers. She pointed at where the enemy was and her army would wipe them out from the face of the earth.

People would gladly die for her and she would still feel nothing for them but then her being sent into exile something changed.

All that power she had and being a "goddess" turned out to be for nothing, she was now the most hated, most ungrateful and most evil "villain" to all of the people of Atlantis now. There was no such thing as second chances with the Atlanteans back then.

Long story short, she ended up on land within the peaceful town of Redmond Island in the Caribbean.

The spoiled mermaid princess was now spending her time as a simple under payed lower class housemaid

with Governor of the town former Captain Weatherby Swann and his beautiful daughter Elizabeth Swann.

She remembered the housecleaning, making beds, setting up the lavish dinners, getting the entire mansion ready for the nightly parties and finally just dressing and undressing the daughter. To a land dweller it was simply boring but to a mermaid new to this sort of thing, it was life altering lesson in how to be treated and to be fair.

But once again fate throw a another curve ball at her in the form of a insane madman and his own navy who decided to take over Redmond Island. He killed Elizabeth's father and throw her in jail along with Syrena. They somehow manged to escape to a small Caribbean island off shot of Henry Avery's fabled nation of Libertalia.

Both becoming pirates with Elizabeth basically becoming something of a famed "Robin Hood" figure around the Caribbean. She made Libertalia into her personal paradise for not just pirates but anyone who loved freedom and would have gladly given up her life for it.

But Syrena was a different story altogether at that time and she feel don't feel like reliving it now.

She is now Queen of Atlantis and somehow through her rules she changed the once brutal MER into something that would be a force for good in the entire sea. She never allow the mermaids to attack any nation without reason. Kida's plan brought back the bad old days when even to the other mermaid cultures saw the Atlanteans as nothing more then the worst example of them.

They were shape changing brutes would soon level your port or city in a fair amount of seconds without thinking about it. But with her they don't it. And now she had to found a way to make peace with the surface world and it had to began with Lt. Helga Sinclair.

To her second chances were always needed for her to become a better ruler.

* * *

"I think we can start on getting you to walk again" Syrena annotated to the bed ridden Helga. This was making smile just for the fact that she had been in that bed for several weeks now.

"Oh god finally!"

Anything was better then also eating the strange leaf like food that Syrena simply said was "medicine" but whatever it was did made her not feel like throwing up like she had done if she hadn't been taking it.

Helga still overall don't feel like fully trusting someone like the strange Syrena.

She kept looking at the mask on the woman's face and the reason she was wearing it. It could been to cover up some horrible injury to Helga's reasoning.

Lifting both hands toward her, Syrena carefully take Helga's arms to lift her up from the bed. Sinclair had trouble trying to find balance in her legs and upon her feet hitting the wooden floor, they felt like stepping on even more sharp needles.

Walking again was at first painful beyond belief, her left leg was still twisted. The demented look on her face was still mixed with the sounds of pain. She don't want to fail and yet her legs were still not up to doing much of everything including walking.

As Syrena had started to let go of Helga, she immanently fall over to the floor. She was angry again and began hitting the floor with her fists.

"Am sorry , i really don't know what to do with that leg of yours" Syrena too sounded disappointed.

"We can always try again"

"I DON'T FEEL LIKE TRYING AGAIN, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINK I AM..." Helga's anger was boiling again,"...Am a cripple, is that the word you were going to use?" she hated saying that

Syrena never answered as she picked her up gladly and put her back to the bed. Helga noticed that her strange savior had just stood in the middle of the cabin as if in deep thought.

Suddenly she walked toward a white cabinet at the other end of the room, opening the doors she seemed to muttering to herself until she found what she was looking for.

Syrena had taken out a large oak wood crutch with sheets through out that look like pieces from a white sail. "A old friend of mine had once use this very long time ago. Since it looks like he wouldn't be needing it anymore, i only now have thought that you would have it."

Her voice overly happy but Helga had just seemed to be smiling herself. No one except Jane and Whitmore had ever thought of her like this. With her outstretched hand had grabbed the crutch.

Painfully standing up again, she began using the crutch and with just right leg began to hop around the room, as keeping bandaged left leg off the ground.

She was laughing as she merrily hopped about, and by the sound of the other laughter Syrena was happy as well. Once they were both calm down, Syrena had put her shoulder to the Lieutenant, "Now that's over with, i think i would like showing the rest of my ship"

* * *

Helga with her crutch in hand had headed out the cabin door. Looking up she was shocked and quite amazed by what she saw.

The vessel was in the middle of the most beautiful grotto she had ever seen in her life. The mouth of the large cavern had opened in a red jungle forest filled foliage and yet she could see the incredible view of the city of Atlantis from the mouth.

There were numerous ship wrecks from every period in history stationed within the cavern walls. A red sand beach with a huge overhanging waterfall and the massive pool below it.

Her eyes focused on a old fashioned lantern that was giving off a ever changing ranges of colors.

It hang from the top of a old crow's nest and it seemed to be the only thing above the water as the rest was sunken. The rest of this grotto seemed to go on endlessly and she can't help but smile at all of this natural beauty.

Standing near the wheel, she seemed to have forgotten the pain that come with each step. She had to get used to it.

"What's the name of this vessel?" Helga questioned to Syrena as she help with the stairs to the middle section.

"It's called the WICKED WENCH"

"The same legendary pirate ship of the infamous Captain Swann?, but I thought it sunk off of the coast of Florida just after end of the Revolutionary War ! " Helga seemed quite surprised in her voice that she was aboard this quite legendary ship

"It was during a hurricane that when on for three days and nights"

"Oh you know you're pirate history at least, let's just say it's been taking me quite long while to get this ship salvaged and repaired for a...very old dear friend of mine" Syrnea said quite happily and she was quite honest in answers.

"You could say Captain Swann was a idol of mine when I was glowing up"

She had finally had rest Sinclair on the floor of the main deck. The solder still couldn't quite figure out what to make of all this but there was a lot more to Atlantis then ANY of them had ever thought of.

Including the fact that she only get the most information of the city from The Professor and he seemed to have missed the grotto with a pirate ship

Syrena had sit down with her, Sinclair couldn't help staring at the neutral expression on the mask. She still had so many questions to ask her but Syrena speak before her

"I was wondering...

my dear since it looks like you're still getting into good enough shape now that...that you're be possibly my newest "crew mate"?

"NO" Sinclair's voice echoed

"Why not?"

"One: I need to find my own way out of this place

Two: YOUR WEARING A MASK, what makes you think I could ever trust someone like that

Three: Those people of Atlantis will come here and I don't want to be here when they do

AND FOUR: WHERE THE HELL IS MY OWN GOD DAMNED CREW!"

Helga had gotten angry again and once again it lift Syrena speechless. It seemed the rest of Helga's first day outside of the cabin was spent, just sitting in the middle of the deck with nether of them talking each other.

* * *

 _DOWN WITH THE TYRANT_

Rikki angrily torn down yet another one of those flyers from the entrance of the palace, this getting out of hand. Kida's invasion plan may have been shot down by all of the counsel members and now she was going to take it out on the Queen herself.

The orange haired general was never going to allow this outrage to go on as she stormed into the main hall only to see Syrena holding another flyer

"There's only one GOD DAMNED answer for all of this, my Queen she wants the throne" Rikki said out right

"No, Rikki she wants a stronger less noble leader and for right now am not it" Syrena said calmly

"I will fight her with words and hope reason would win out over hatred"

"You're not taking this seriously enough, what if a young little MER gets it to her head that Kida is right and then she starts drowning land people. Would you want to bring that up at the next counsel meeting, us going back into the bad habits?" Rikki's tone sounded troubled

"Don't you think I don't know that already, Nedakh raised his daughter to many things and one of them was never standing down to the enemy. The MU are raised that way and an Atlantean who lost her parents in one of there wars and only to find another one within the MU itself, has learned to think as they did"

Syrena had sadness in her voice as she continued " The outsiders just unwilling opened up the flood gates of her mind to the thought of her own weakness and I bet she never wants that to happen again"

As Rikki was about to answer her though, a huge shockwave and bright light come through out the entire palace and the boom that soon followed echoed then through out the city.

"CLEO" Rikki said as she run up the stairs with Syrena following close behind

They had come into the royal science hall and running toward the room at the end of it. Syrena cleared heard Cleo from inside "Ohhh boy that was a bad idea, yes a very...very bad idea"

As she opened the door, she found the lab in ruins and also the cause of it

"THE CONDUIT!"

"ohhhh, my queen I can perfectly explain everything...It was all Rikki's idea"

"I TOLD YOU TO DESTROY IT, NOT TOY WITH IT"

Cleo had tried and failed to reach a nearby chair and to her the room was still spanning

"Ummm yeah bad idea my queen and also it is your father's..."thingy"

"NEPTUNE IS NOT HERE, I AM!. NOW I HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR ALL OF THIS AND AS TO WHY AM NOT THROWING YOU TWO INTO THE NEAREST DUNGON!"

Rikki had to step in as for that very reason to calm down her Queen

"We were both thinking at first that the outsiders possibly by accident may have "awakened" it when they get here. But with Cleo's new findings, we think it may have been active before they come here and Nedakh know all about it"

"NEDAKH?"

"See being the visiting scholar from MU as a good will between us and them under your orders. He was supposed be in the guest house at all times but I observed him entering the Archives and I thought that may have been there to look up the scrolls from before the sinking such the Scroll for Knowledge and Reason..."

Cleo continued "...But the reason he was actually in the Archives was for this thing.

And according to one old document, my Queen is that the thing once leveled entire city block and turned those guarding it into pure crystal, maybe it was that get him to began his own research on it and I'll keeping looking into that angle "

"And am I supposed to be happy with you just playing with the DEATH CRYSTAL?" Syrena was not liking what she was hearing

"Soon I will have all the answers, my Queen and solve the bleedin purpose for this "gift" existence. Including how a group of land dwellers rediscovered it before we did"

"Okay final warning, get this "thing" out of my city NOW because if you're right about Nedakh. Then Kida has all the fuel needed to get the throne right under me and the people will be right behind her all the way" Syrena stumped out of the lab as Rikki and Cleo looked on.

"Soooo you really don't know the "purpose" of it is do you?" Rikki questioned as Cleo slowly shake her head answering "Not a clue"

* * *

Helga had looked out of the portside widow of her cabin to see a bright blue light shot out. She had known what the source of that light was.

"Oh god...oh god...the Heart of Atlantis, I have get out of here" It was the very reason she was here and now she felt it would be now be the very reason to leave and she didn't know how. She was going into a complete panic and felt like she had every right be.

She had made up her mind that very moment and decided to basically leave the ship even with her limp, as she opened the door of the cabin though...

 **Why are you leaving?...YOUR PUNISHMENT HASN'T BEEN SERVED**

She turned to where the voice come from. It was the same young teenage voice she had vaguely remembered from before she wake up.

Moving out of the darkness of her cabin, a figure moved toward her and she was terrified by what she saw.

The figure had been dressed in torn bits and pieces of what remained of a sailor's uniform, the hat was covered in seaweed. Her hair was red as well as her entire face was dipping in blood. She look like she was slight younger then Audrey but her face give off the expression of rage. Mixed with the blood was the strong smell of seawater as well as different smell of unknown substance, all of it was overwhelming Helga that slide down from the floor.

The figure noticed the crutch and the expression turned into a smile but it was still disturbing

 **How ironic you end up with something of Long John Silver's...after all he was a PIRATE like you or was it how you ALWAYS WERE**

Helga don't want to look at the figure as she covered her face as kept muttering "I am solder...I am solder...I am SOLDER"

 **YOUR'RE NOT A SOLDER!...YOUR'RE A GOD DAMNED INHUMAN PUPPET, AM THE ONLY REAL SOLDER HERE...You think that by being here in Atlantis that you're find something like redemption then that's far from actually happening.**

"I don't kill you"

 **Ohhhhh you did worse then that YOU LEFT ME TO DIE**

* * *

Queen Syrena had rushed out after emerging from the water. To the captain's cabin, she found Helga laying down on the floor in tears.

At first she couldn't make out what the lieutenant was saying

"Don't you see her...don't you see her"

Syrena had looked around the room and there was nothing there.

"There's no one here, my dear" she was trying to sound calm to the solder. Even if this morning proved that she herself was far being calm

"IT'S HER! SHE FROM THE ULYSSES, I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE'S HERE IN ATLANTIS"

Syrena had to ask "What does she want from you?"

"Justice or revenge, now both times I can't tell with her. She can't have survived that monster and she now blames me for her pain, she has blood all over her and am the one whose the guilty party and keeps mentioning my "punishment" whatever that is"

Lt. Sinclair was shaking but it was from fear.

The Queen had no answer to any of this, she know that something like guilt was or already had creep into her mind.

She figured the Lieutenant was going through a traumatic side effect of one of the pain relief medicine or the fever one from the sub.

She had to think of something to calm her down and then she know what she had to do.

"Would you like get out of here?"

With heavy tears Helga was giving her biggest smile now

* * *

OH GREAT NEPTUNE

LET THE OCEAN BEYOND BE CALM

LET THOSE WHOSE SOULS LAY NOW AT OUR FEET FLOW LIKE A RIVER

LET YOUR ARMS GUIDE THEM TOWARD THE GATES

THE GATES OF YOUR BROTHER HADES

AND LET HIM GUIDE THEM TOWARD THE SHORES OF THE ETHERAL FILEDS

OF BEAUTY,LOVE AND KINDNESS REPLACING THE WAR FILLED HEARTS

AND LET FIND HAPPINESS IF THEY HAD NONE

JOY WHERE THERE NONE

AND THE PEACE OF THE VERY WATERS OF LIFE TO FILLED ONE WITHOUT THE NEED OF REVENGE

The head priestess of Neptune finished her prayer as the sisters around her began there chanting.

All of there own masks had diamonds embedded into them, there was no expressions on the painted faces and all wear muti colored robes and hoods that meant to represent all the various ocean life.

They moved as one big group as the military arm of MER continued there job of burying the solders within the volcanic shaft.

There been several delays mainly thanks in part to Kida and only on this day it seemed was only now getting it going.

Rikki hated the fact that only now was the Queen going take another sudden "vacation". But then again after the whole "Conduit" incident, maybe it was for the best and she could be thinking now of getting that blasted thing out of the palace.

The General of Atlantis had mixed feelings with the Queen's request. After all these people were thieves and it seemed all them were disgrace to any honest solder and felt like it was the "Commander" who had decided this bastard plan of his would actually work.

She always known through at first the old "stories" and then Cleo's research that the Conduit was the deadest weapon to come to the Atlanteans

The legends told of whole entire sea beds being crystalized with all the marine life still entombed or made to be part of the "sentient" thing. It lived within the crystal it was a unknown thing and it was all connected to the god Neptune.

That thing on the surface world would have been a monstrous disaster in Rikki's imagination, the puny one was wrong it was never there "god" it was the devil.

Moving past that she was at first trying to find Cleo, there off beat differences with each other and the conversions would at least lightened the dark mood, that this place was now giving off.

Something caught her eye near a open cavern

It was a straight line that lead right into it, this cavern was also a bit on a raised pathway that something like lava would never reached.

Kneeling down to the trail it had a unique color to it. Her hand grabbed a handful of the colored sand and then suddenly realized something about it

"Blood?" It was dried for many days and also meant to her only one thing to the general.

Someone escaped this battle and they were now somewhere within the lost empire of Atlantis and somehow she had to warn the Queen


	5. Poor Unfortunate Soul

Some sort of chanting had reached the ears of Helga as she slowly limped across the vast cavern, it gotten so loud that she noticed even Syrena could hear it.

"What is that?" she questioned

"It's only meant for the dead" Syrena said rather grimly

"The dead?"

"The Atlanteans have had there own losses as well and they honor the dead as much as they honor the living" It was a matter of fact way that Syrena said it and Helga had thought deeply on it.

The way Syrena talked about those natives had almost made Helga give up on hating them but then she looked at her legs and the anger come back. Atlantis was still hell to her and Kida was her own personal devil.

Not even this pirate would ever change her mind otherwise to that way of thinking.

Her voice echoed through this newer cavern that had seemingly bypassed the volcano shaft and Lt. Sinclair don't feel like revisiting that place at the very least.

Helga had been troubled enough by the fact that her crew caused so many to die and she don't know what to make of it. She had to get it out of her head though because she would soon be on the surface again.

Seemingly she don't what to question Syrena on the subject as she continued to slowly but surely make her way along the rocky path

* * *

The new cavern emptied into the more familiar roadway that Lt. Sinclair had driven on before but now had to walk.

She had looked at where the entire group had last camped and again the emotions were coming back to her on what happened there.

The burned tents were still there and even the trucks and the men inside that never manged to escape these _"fireflies",_ those were gone but it was just looking at this place again remained her that she would always hate Atlantis and the lives it take.

Looking at the pirate though she don't know what to make as why this woman would even her life here in the first place. She would never directly answer her questions on WHY or HOW she was still in this dangerous place.

Unlike the Professor, this "person" had no real reason to stay in place filled with the monsters and those savages and there _"glowing_ " god.

On the subject on the "Heart" she would just say it was something dangerous and was vague as to why it would be.

Helga had thought on the fact that this woman must been driven mad when down here but she also did save her life. She tried to think on other things though, like the mere fact that Rourke was dead and that in her eyes the entire mission here was a complete and utter failure.

Each of the team mates her included were just here for money, they ended up trying to kill each other over a crystal shaped girl and the fact that every naval officer that Whitmore personally hired was now dead.

Yeah a great way to end the so called _"BEST OF THE BEST"_ team in the world.

And she still couldn't believe out of all this how a pirate of all people would recuse her from all of them.

Her team mates that was weighting in on her mind now, there were mixed feelings but unlike with the Professor, they almost felt like a family that she had somehow betrayed. And yet all that stuff they did and no one ever really get hurt but it was the greed that was supposed to make it all worth while when the "job" was done.

Doctor Sweet should have been there for her when she fell from that balloon and yet he was focused elsewhere, he could at least caught her!

Yet she also remembered shooting at him during that battle and yet in sub consensus way kept missing her team mates. She felt angry that any of them would allow her just fell as if she " _deserve it_ " or something like that.

In a twisted way they all hated her

It was never because she was " _German_ " but because she was a cold stoic woman with a rotten sense of humor.

She was formerly a drill sergeant and before that the army brat to one of Frankfurt's top army minds.

Her father she would give her right arm to see his face right now knowing she was in a such place like Atlantis

And yet he for the life of him never wanted her twin sisters both now round the age of 16 to join with there older sister. And she had to agree with that decision, they were both studying to be Archaeologists and they both loved to talk to Jane on just the subject that Helga personally thought was boring.

JANE! how was she going to explain herself for her actions here and the fact that the love of her life would feel at even looking at her again.

A cripple who used to be the best in terms of being a martial artist and expert in hand to hand combat. Rourke had done his job in making his " _partner_ " into a mere shell of what she was and used to be.

And out of those people this Syrena don't care.

She seemed to have played the role of nurse and maid quite well even through the worst of Helga's rather unfortunate illnesses.

She seemed to have kept to herself and had done rather numerous trips to the city of Atlantis even when Sinclair was sleeping. But always come back with more food and that strange medicine seemed to be around the city. Syrena never talked about as what the natives would think someone as different as she was from what Helga and her group had been when they first entered.

Helga had tightened her fists at the mere thought of those savages, she hated them with all her heart. The Professor was there champion but at the cost of this expedition being killed and her left betrayed. She would leave him to be "king" or whatever he wanted with them.

She know at the end of this road was the escape subs and that would be her ticket out of this hell with it's pain and were ever the rest of team mates were within Atlantis

* * *

"It seems alot is on your mind, Sinclair" Syrena asked as Helga stared at one of the burned tents, her own.

"Yeah...

I can't wait to get out of here. This place why are even here? If it's just going to TAKE EVERYTHING FROM YOU"

She heard her words echoed through the cavern and yet again Syrena was silent.

Helga was never going to ask it again as she inched her way through the burned remains and yet it was Syrena who decided and being the more able walker to just shoulder her and help with getting out of this way.

It was a slow journey for her and Syrena had been there every step of the way.

Even with that she had never left the fact that she wanted her to see a one defining character trait, that as the femme faltate through and through.

She would never smile at Syrena, she would yell her words, her sneer would be permanent on her face. Basically she was giving the same act that she did around the team and yet Syrena never seemed to be buying it like they did.

In fact it just made her laugh at it and saying she was trying to hard or that no one in the right mind would ever kept it up for days like she did.

She somehow had known that Sinclair was putting on a "act" and it never impressed her and it seemed only other person would know too of her. Jane Porter and she did wished with all her heart that woman would have come to Atlantis with her. And yet at the same time don't want her too

Sinclair had never known any woman like this before

Modesty was also never a problem with Syrena ether compared to Sinclair who still felt she could keep her body hidden since what had happened to her.

In one of the deep pools along the road one day, she had awaken to suddenly staring at a huge orange fish gasping at it as she heard the joyous laughter coming from Syrena who was completely naked except for her mask.

She had been dancing around with her hips at her side and seemed enjoy the look of anger that come from Sinclair's face. Yeah Mole's "humor" was nothing compared to this strange woman

And she was indeed also very beautiful and was quite another thing she can't get out of her head.

The way her hips moved, the elegance of the way she talked, the deep eyes that Helga could just get lost in if stared too deeply into them.

Any man and opened minded woman in the entire world would be in her power and yet Helga don't want get attached to her.

She was a foot taller then her as well, she had also noticed that style of her red hair would keep changing. From short to long and sometimes braided

Sinclair had noticed other things about her such as the way the sensual voice would change into different voices including she thought hearing her own voice coming out of Syrena.

Mainly because she can't shut up about the Professor during one of the longer stretches of the roadway.

"My god... woman WHY don't you just marry him if your that obsessed with him!" it was her voice but very annoyed coming out of Syrena and with that Helga had stopped in her tracks.

"How did you that?"

"Um...I was just very talented in my youth and throwing your voice is one of them. Believe me _sweetie,_ your Best of the Best group pales in comparison to me"

Syrena was rubbing Helga's check as she said this.

She was treating her on this journey as if she were a child. Her HELGA KATRINA SINCLAIR and she hated that

* * *

There had been one small picture that Helga had been keeping since they left the grotto. It survived with her as she fell and it seemed Syrena never throw away the bloody clothes.

It was in her left pant's pocket

It was of her and the team in Iceland after they get "the Shepard's Journal" with the two guides that lead them to where it was kept.

She forget as why she even still had it given what happened.

On numerous other trips before hand she would NEVER show her feelings for the team and they excepted it as part of her character. But now she was thinking about them almost every "night" within the cavern. Some times never even sleeping even when Syrena was.

Just staring for hours on end at it

She also known back at Whitmore's mansion the group had taken dozen other pictures of them standing over there fabulous prize and each one of them she was there.

BUT so was Commander Rourke, and after what he did to her, she had taken a nearby piece of coal and begin to black out that...man from her treasured photo.

Afterwards she felt good about doing it and it seemed Syrena never questioned her about it.

They camped near to where the Ice cavern was.

But Syrena said they would bypass it completely given Helga's leg and she seemed to not want her anywhere near the cold.

Helga was again staring at the photo as the camp fire with the fresh fish that Syrena had somehow caught were cooking.

She meanwhile was in the habit of sharping the one blade she had brought along. A cutlass and given the fact that Sinclair had already encountered enough of the monsters here she never questioned it.

She had been sitting on a rock and looking up through her mask said mildly "Your're going to burn your eyes out just looking at that"

"How would know anything about them?" Helga was getting annoyed at her all the sudden

Standing on the rock and crossing her arms she heard the strange woman laugh

"Believe me, _SWEETIE_ , i think i have you figured out about now...

Your're "crew mates" and yourself, they were in it for the money and what was Atlantis supposed be?... just another easy carefully planned JOB?"

"Ask THEM back at the city" she said breathlessly

"Oh so your're defending them now, at the start of this journey after i told you about getting out here and then taking your're suggestion of these two small submarines still in a cove at the end of here.

You just jumped at the chance to leave them behind!"

Helga closed her eyes and tightening her fists at those words but she need to sound strong in front of this woman

"I hate this place and "he" doesn't, i can not face him now or ever again...

So yes he can have his little Utopia down here along her and they will join him. Meanwhile i just want to go back to MY normal life and LEAVE THIS PLACE BEHIND!. My mother and father, my sisters, WHITMORE and...and..." She couldn't get the last words out but Syrena did

"...Jane, she waiting for isn't she up in the surface world?"

"YES!" her face was red and tears streaming down but expression was happiness as she continued

"...THEY can live here with those people until the end of time and I can take comfort in knowing they are happy. But i will be with her and you can along if what do but this place is a NIGHTMARE for everything it's done to me. EVERYONE ELSE IS DIED here and they wouldn't care...

I know you...think it's mean of me and am sorry but i have my family to think about and knowing them, they will search for me and i don't want them to think that there first child they were will have is DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FUCKING ATLANTIC!.

I will never ever let this place WIN OVER ME and they will never trust ever again but the truth is i don't care. Hate me, lecture me about team work all you want and i will still never give you or anyone else a different answer"

She had watched as Syrena simply turned her back after hearing all that

Then she heard a simple response from her in German

 _" You poor unfortunate_ _soul"_

* * *

Helga was already up before Syrena, she had known this pathway by driving it on the way to the city. She had the look of hope on her face as kept pace with the pirate.

She would soon be out of Atlantis

The smell of saltwater was the sure sign of the cove were they had entered for the first time here.

She smiled as she talked as they want through the gigantic mouth of the weird statue

"You can take the smaller one and i get back to piloting the EVAC and then we can make our way to...

to...were are they?"

"...WERE ARE THEY" Helga's angry voice echoed through out the cove

Syrena had felt like crossing her hands to back. A habit she only did as a maid and only if they did something wrong.

She watched as Helga limped back and forth from the shore, her movements getting faster and faster until turned to Syrena herself who was just standing there.

She closed her eyes answering " _Mistress_ , they...

They left right before you were ever even awake..." her voice felt small and she wasn't the Queen here not to Helga.

"WHAT!?"

Syrena felt forced to answer again "There are _GONE_ and by the looks of it they are never coming back"

Helga was shaking, she had the look of confusion, she began to breath hard. So was forcing herself to question Syrena more

"Your're mean MY team right?" she don't want to hear the answer

"yes...they were never in Atlantis during your recovery on board my ship,... mistress" Syrena chocking back her own tears under the mask. She hadn't said that word in such a very long time and it was painful for her

Now Helga just without thinking had throw her crotch somewhere near the shore. She fell over but don't care, that would not be the pain that was she focusing on.

* * *

She was looking around the cove and it was becoming clear in her mind but she don't couldn't except it

WHY did Syrena even give her something like false hope, what made her believe they were still in Atlantis all this time.

They had up and simply just going to leave her here in a place she had no idea of, they were just go about there own lives and she was a random someone that DON'T mattered to them in the end.

Everything she did here was truly for nothing and they were just going to be in Washington D.C and she had Atlantis?

She would never except that,

she would never live with it and she would be damned if she take the fact that THEY had gotten to the subs and left her to ROT.

She had crawled to the waterline and began just randomly picking up anything on the bank, pebbles, small debris and other rocks and just throw them in the water.

Tears were streaming down and her face was once again red,

There was anger that been surging also in her as come began screaming at where those subs her one way ticket home should have been.

"ROURKE

AUDREY

VINNIE

COOKIE

SWEET

why did you abandoned me?...

WHY DID YOU ABANDONED ME?...

WHY...WHY...WHY...WHY..."

Syrena just stood there as she heard Helga crying and the sounds of it were heard throughout the cove

* * *

"They...

must have thought were you had died with those other solders once the volcano erupted...

Not one of them seemed to have mentioned you once they left...they were all more then happy to leave this place and...

...and forgot you ever existed in the first place"

It was hard for Syrena to even talked when they come back to the same camp site near the Ice Cavern on the next day. Helga had been in a corner near small formation of rocks, she had been sitting as her crying still echoed through the lonely endless caves. The pain in her left leg was increasing but she wasn't caring about it. It was another example of this place hurting her in so many ways.

Syrena sitting down with her, she was going to be a friend to this solder no matter what, her voice had a sadness to it and yet she also deeply caring as well

"There is a alternative to think about Helga Sinclair.

You can stay here in Atlantis and...and with my help you build a whole new life, you don't have be the good solder anymore. There are the most beautiful things here that you could never imagine up in the surface world, there is a whole entire culture here that is so full of wonder and greatness that would make you forget the pain these...people brought you. Your're never have to answer to them ever again and all i want is..."

"NO!"

Syrena don't understand "WHY?"

Sinclair was pushing her away

"BECAUSE WHAT YOUR ASKING IS SHIT...YOUR'RE ASKING ME TO FORGET I EVEN HAD A LIFE UP THERE, WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU? ...TO...TO FORGET THEM... TO FORGET HER!. YOUR'RE ASKING ME THAT MY LIFE HAS BEEN NOTHING THEN A FUCKING LIE AND THIS HELLHOLE IS REAL AND I CAN'T NOT EXCEPT THAT, NOW LEAVE ME ALONE!"

It was Syrena's turn, after all these days with this woman and it finally come down to this, even if in tears down her actual face. She was fortunate enough that her mask was on because the Lieutenant was still living in the "fantasy" of her own ideas and she never stop living in them and The Queen would no longer except that ether.

"Ohhhh okay "Commander" or should i just call you "GENERAL" Sinclair, you better fucking get used to the fact of where you are.

This HELLHOLE is alot more real then these pieces of shit WHO LEFT YOU BEHIND!.

And your payday isn't and NEVER will be coming.

And your're better believe that the fact that the thing your're were after in the first place is something so HORRIBLE.

That maybe it was a good thing that they stop when they did or else a place like Frankfurt,Germany and everyone in it would be CRYSTAL and then the whole entire world can truly BLAME YOU FOR IT!." There was a mixture of anger and pride in Syrena's voice now

"THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME...I AM" Helga was shouting

"AHAHA...You are still defending them after all that's happened with you?.

What the hell is the reason for believing they will think YOU even existed or do i feel like i was stopping you from MURDERING THEM in there sleep once you get back to the surface world?.

And listen... Main Herr, I love this place and am not about to change my mind because of someone like you. I don't think you have ANY IDEA of how i even take care of you and the kind of TOLL IT TAKE ON ME and this is now how your're going treat your rescuer?"

"YOUR'RE SHOULD HAVE RESCUED ONE OF THEM, MY FATE SHOULD BEEN WITH MY MEN" Sinclair was never backing down from this

"I wasn't focused on them, i was focused on you and only you. Call it selfish on my part

But to leave you just to die in that GOD DAMNED BATTLE is not my way, your're have face the facts of your own FATE. You can't marry Jane Porter if your only wish in life is now to simply DIE!.

Or maybe you always wanted to be pictured as the PERFECT solder or Daddy's perfect little girl and now that FANTASY WITHIN HER OWN HEAD IS TOTALLY GONE NOW.

And there was never a woman in there to begin with, just a woman whose own persona was forged by those around her and this FUCKING ONE NOTE trait was all that was left since you never wanted to be YOURSELF simply because people like Rourke or the Professor had to shape it for you and not the other way around"

Helga was facing her and angry as hell at her"Stop making up things about me. You clearly have no understanding of..."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE HATED THEM FOR IT...there was no Helga Sinclair to begin with.

Because she herself never give a thought in her head as WHY the team that was supposed to always watch her back ended up leaving her BLEEDING ON THE FLOOR OF A VOLCANO. Like a piece of meat and it had to take a complete stranger to put her back together again because that she herself had already given up and no one was there for her anymore,

Yeah so much for Little Ms Perfect Solder"

Helga was making a fist " Your're labeling me as a villain?"

"Oh no am labeling your entire team as villains including that so called saint of a "Professor" of yours. A weak spineless coward who never believed he was weak to begin with and yet that cost whole entire lives including yours to prove otherwise.

Do you have any idea what that type of man would do as King of Atlantis?. He would destroy it NOT save it, that coward would be unknowingly be causing more war and death through out Atlantis, he would misrepresent those people to the rest of the world and WHAT THE HELL WOULD HE GET OUT IN THE END?...

...A dead people and a ruined city, good for him. And NOW am hoping that the next group of so called "explorers" that wander into Atlantis will include Jane"

"DON'T BRING JANE INTO THIS!, SHE CAN'T SEE ME LIKE THIS!" Helga yelled

"Can't see you as what?, as the greedy thug? or the woman who begin using the excuse of being a cripple?" Syrena was seriously annoyed by Sinclair now but she was going to speak more of her mind anyways

"Jane would find out anyways from the city about the woman before me. "

"Shut up"

"The "Love of her Life" being someone who hides behind a false ideal to the point were it become the one and only thing in her own life and then she can frighten by that woman."

"Shut UP!"

"And she would always had truly known and feared of what that woman really was deep down...That woman being nothing more then a monster"

Helga punched Syrena in the face hard but not enough to knock the mask off as she screamed

"I AM NOT A MONSTER"

It was a major offence in Atlantis for anyone to be striking the main ruler but Syrena never bothered with rules like that as Queen. She begin laughing even as her mouth was bleeding down the face mask and she began wiping it away.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA, very good _Mistress_. Very, very good AHAHA"

"Why did you made me do that?" Sinclair questioned as Syrena now looked down to her bloody right hand, she was shaking all over

"Because your're just learned the first very important lesson toward being your own woman...

Defending what you think is right. Now you just need to convene the surface world, that your're not dead so they can stop mourning you" Syrena said grimly

As she walked away still rubbing her lower face, she left Helga behind who was looking at her hand. Then she caught sight of the Iceland photo

In her anger earlier she had torn the picture in half, basically where she been in it. She had pick up both halves from the cavern floor. It was only now been dawning on her on what may been happening in those days that turned into years down here since the crew left.

She closed her eyes and said quietly "No one will mourn me"


	6. The Siren

SMITHSONIAN FIFTH EXPLORER'S CLUB ANNUAL DINNER

WASHINGTON D.C

"And i will like to bring out the man of the hour, Mr Preston B. Whitmore" the elderly host announced to a tall young handsome man.

His hair long and black, the face was perfect in how awesomely stunning in a Greek statue kind of way, his beard was cut into a goatee. His eyes were blue and deep. He was dressed in one of the finest tailored blue suits in all of the D.C area.

Any woman in the room would find him to be the handsomest man alive on the face of the earth. He addressed the crowd with a deep voice that was youthful and yet also powerful in the words he said.

"Well Ladies and Gentleman, i welcome you all to the first new area to this rather great museum. Since firing all of the board members of the Smithsonian and replacing them with what i feel will be people who will look at science and nature with a resolve and not blind disloyal narrow mindlessness.

I felt as we should do and bringing in what was lacking here and what the Explorer's Club stands for.

That men and women will go through what must be great hardship and terrible roads less taken to prove that even in these hard times.

That men can and will overcome the greatest sacrifice for all the will being of all people on this earth.

And I will began that by honoring those lost on the ULYSSES, if you please gentlemen"

Whitmore and a couple of his men had brought out from behind the stage a cloth covering something rather big underneath.

He had uncovered it to revel to the stunned crowd a entirely jewel and diamond cut made group statue of the "BEST OF THE BEST" team...

With Helga Sinclair in the near back holding up an A symbol flag. As the other members were in various poses but funny enough the Professor was missing from this group and in his place was Mole.

"This was made and with the fabulous jewels included by the people of the African nation of Opar. Yet another sign to the people of the world of the greatness of there Queen La. Who wishes only ever lasting friendship and peace" Whitmore announced to the crowd among various cheers, all by one.

"Friendship my BLOODY eye" The short brown haired woman said with disgust. She had been in Africa long enough to know that whatever La was playing at, it would be NOT good for the entire world.

She had dressed herself in a low cut yellow dress with white gloves, her hair was done up in a tight bun. She had been to these events so often it so was numbing to her.

She eyed the closed off area for the new wing and decided to take a look at it.

* * *

Going pasted the sign and right under the rope, she find a room filled with several amazing sights.

Drawings of sunken ruins, old to new giant photos of what look to be mermaids from one side to the other

The various preserved number of fish were gathered around the room

Finding a nearby light switch she turn it on to see that was giving off a warm blue light as if the whole room under the sea

She could see among the preserved fish was models dressed as different versions of mermaids from various folklore with only one at the center that had a sheet over it.

Suddenly curious she had gone near it and before touching it, she heard a deep voice behind her

"Trying to get a sneak peak Ms Porter?"

* * *

"OHHHHHH DEAR GOD PRESTON!

...don't do that" Jane was shocked to see Whitmore. Who had decided to follow her to the room, he was laughing at her now

"Am sorry my dear for that" he simply said

"Preston, what exactly is this exhibit anyway?" Jane questioned

"Well...It's all about mermaids and there possible connection they COULD have to the lost city of Atlantis"

"AHAHAHAHAHA Atlantis, your not serious are you Preston?"

"It depends on how serious i am on this subject.

Take for example the one behind you, quite amusing legend among the people living not far from the Norwegian kingdom of Arendelle."

He had unwrapped the sheet to revel a model wearing what looked like a 17th century style dress and white powdered wig. What shocked Jane the most was a full face mask staring back at her. The kind she would see if she had gone down to New Orleans for Madari Gras.

"This is a...MERMAID to them?"

"In a sense yes...they called them a rather hard to say name in Norwegian but the name I did easily learned from them was the "Children of the Sea". You are looking at there Queen as it were, this seaside village was invaded by unknown force of strange men from the sea. They say that these vile solders wanted to first take the town and then would take the kingdom but before even night fell, they somehow stopped in there tracks by these...women or whatever were before the solders could harm the villagers.

Her own solders also dress in a similar fashion and also wear full face masks

They said this Queen figure was leading them, she cut many of them down before they reach her. Holding what you see here, a cutlass sword.

Long story short, the Queen ended up fighting and killing the main leader and drive the rest back into the ocean from once they come.

These so called "Children of the Sea" swear to the village after the battle to watch over them and only come to the town in times of great need."

"A rather hard to believe legend there Preston" Jane don't know to make of this story but she felt like smirking to him

"Well the fisherman who told it to me said that it was the honest truth but it happened around the year of 1776. In all honesty i humored him about believing that story"

"...And what of these "Children of the Sea" then?"

"Possibly a group of female pirates that were angry that a loose group of solders get to the town before they did to raid it"

"Do they have a name at least for this so called heroic "Queen" of there's?"

"Of course Porter, you are looking at Syrena, the Siren of Arendelle"

Jane seemed to stare at the figure, she only believed in mermaids as a little girl and the city of Atlantis was nothing but nonsense.

Even her own father the great scientist as he was had try to get a grant from London College to fond his own expedition to find Atlantis. She would not have allowed him to it and give up on such a feat.

The village of the Warisi tribesmen did have similar strange amusing stories of meeting the "Other People" as they called them, they would bring a bounty of fish to the village during times of famine and the warriors always believed that the women in masks swim near the villages. They were like ghosts to the elders of the tribes but no one could figure were they gone or how. The tribesmen always mentioned how pale white they looked in moonlight and monstrous nature these figures exhibited.

Jane was thinking to hard on a such non-sense legend that even scared the otherwise brave Warisi warriors

"I been to Arendelle and i don't think there current Queen Elsa would not take kindly to this...Syrena, such a funny looking _Little Mermaid"_

Whitmore laughed

"AHAHAH...Well you are missing a dance"

* * *

As both Whitmore and Jane dance in the center of the crowd of people, thoughts emerged as why she was here in the first place.

"Are nervous my dear about getting your award tonight?" Preston asked

"No its not that...YOU know what i am here for really!"

"Lieutenant Sinclair again, you think a beautiful woman like yourself could just dress in this matter and not ask a favor of me"

"I want to be apart of the next search party" she said straight forwardly

"Am sorry...DOCTOR Porter but i already sent the next team to the cost of Iceland"

"WHAT!?" she shouted that it scared a nearby dancing couple to move away from them

"Her family has been at my doorstep many times already with the exact same request, one of her twin sisters would even said she would serve as a replacement to the various Helga did for me. I turned her down"

"Preston...

Please i NEED THIS, I...I have to search for her and then..."

"Please my dear, Helga's position within my company is now being filled by a friend of her's from Hong Kong and a rather good one at"

"Ohhh i SEE what your during Preston. Your giving her up for dead and...

...and that i need to WHAT?... _mourn her?_ , just give up the fact that she's alive somewhere at there?"

Jane had rage in her voice and wasn't keeping calm about it, Preston just looked but before he could answer, a Asian woman was looking them both

"Ummm...Mr. Whitmore sir, there's a call waiting for you in your new office." she said simply

"Think you Mulan, excuse me my dear, i have take this call, Fa please serve Ms Porter another drink"

As soon as Whitmore had gone, Mulan grabbed Jane by the arm simply saying "Walk with me"

* * *

Fa taken her down a long hallway until she found what she was looking for, quickly opening the door. She pushed Jane inside

"WHY ARE WE MEETING IN THE BOILER ROOM?"

"The former janitor is in Nepal but that's NOT important what is your're OUTBURST toward Preston!" Mulan had the look of barely controlled rage in her eyes as she speak

"Ohhh this is coming from the girl who promised me that she would find Helga Sinclair no matter what!" Jane was matching her in tone

"Admiral Amelia and me never could find the so called "island" that the remaining crew said they were on. So yes the alternative was to get hired and have trust of Preston Whitmore. BUT it seems i don't want my cover to be blown by YOU for one thing"

"Fa, i need to know" her voice was shaking

"You REALLY want to open up those old wounds between you?"

Jane was walking toward a blank blackboard, she had to think before she could answer her.

"I...

Her and i never work things out. I had Africa and she had this..."team", i never trusted them and i kept trying images in my head of THEM leaving her in some god forsaken place as...as they filled there ship with RICHES and left her to DIE..."

"Jane there are a million things they have could done and..."

"I HATE THEM FOR IT AND YOU DON'T FUCKING KNOW WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH...

YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH MY HEAD ABOUT WHAT I DON'T TELL HER!

YOU WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND THE GOD DAMNED WAY I SEE HOW WHITMORE LOOKS AT YOU AND IT'S SAME FUCKING THING HE DID WHEN SHE WAS AROUND HIM!"

"It's different with me"

"Ohhh he told I used to date him right?" there was disgust in Jane's voice

Mulan was looking at the floor but had answered in straight forward matter" yes"

"I feel like the whole entire world is against me on this...

and i CAN'T CARE BECAUSE i LOVE HER"

Jane was breaking down into tears as Mulan hugged her. A lot had been weighting on Mulan's mind as what they actually found but she HAD to keep Jane in the dark for now.

Jane had been living her life in Africa with the noble Warisi tribe. And it was in fact the work she did with them that was the reason the Smithsonian was getting her this award but at the same time she hated that it had to be under the thumb of Whitmore.

A man of many talents including discovery. He was the new poster child of Archaeology and yet also a rather reckless mysterious figure at the same time, Whitmore had more money and power around the world and it was mainly Washington DC being his domain. What or who the "real" Preston Whitmore was had never been known and it was a fact that EVERY women he come near him had fell for the charm and elegance of the man but NEVER the money.

It was the case for both Helga Sinclair and before her Jane Porter, they had fallen for the man himself.

Rourke, Jane know was when the greedy side of Sinclair had shown it's ugly face but with Preston around she seemed to be a different person all together. It felt like she really did love him and it wasn't an act

There was something to Whitmore that was almost primeval and "ancient" in a weird way. Such as the fact that he had known were the "Sheppard's Journal" had been or the way he located the exact man who was fortunately OBSESSED with founding it. Jane's father and herself never believed it had actually existed until she read in the paper of the survivors of the ULYSSES told about it and that it been unfortunately lost to the submarine's "accident".

She know that the Navy was NOT happy for losing the ULYSSES. It was to be the first line in a new class of submarines and the fact that some one of Whitmore's standing being the man who said that it failed but that was all she know about it.

Both had heard loud music from even where they were. Mulan now felt like cheering her

"Come on Professor Porter you can't look sad in font of all these people!" Fa had to sound happy to her

* * *

As they both come out of the boiler room

Jane began to run toward the ballroom leaving Mulan behind with her arms crossed and smiling sadly.

As she too was about to leave, a figure had come from behind her and they sound a bit upset

"Well now, what's a lady to do when her beautiful "date" has been seen with a gal like that?" the figure had a rather thick and notable Irish accent and Fa looked rather red in the face.

"Ummmm...Rose i can perfectly explain everything"

* * *

Jane run out with her award in hand as the dark skies opened up and thunder was heard.

The heavy rains had come back to Washington DC. But she wasn't caring on as she sit near a beautiful foundation that overhead a mermaid statue that had on one side a large shark looking fish and on the other a huge crab. Beneath it was a odd saying

 _NEPTUNE'S CHILD THE SIREN FARE WATCH OVER THE ONES WHO LOST THERE WAY HOME_

Now looking into the water even the rain of the night was soaking her dress, Jane had a look of determination and closed her eyes

"I WILL found you and bring you home, i promise you that"


	7. Part of Your World

Helga was no longer a solder,

In fact she was no longer anything to anyone since the cove.

There was never going to be anyone rescuing her and with that Syrena's damaging words become more heavily to her, she was truly alone here and with that she HAD to become apart of Atlantis.

A nation she still had no understanding of and it was still a messed up upside down world to her.

Her thoughts were on how she could ever survive here and what really was this "new life" Syrena wanted for her. She had been promised this before with Jane when the girl wanted her to give up on the team and Whitmore and go live in Africa with her along with the Warisi tribe.

Sinclair refused the offer and surprisingly enough Syrena had done the same thing.

She couldn't wrap her head around the fact of there being a "normal life" for her with Jane once but now it seemed everyone she ever cared about had forgotten about her.

She HATED THEM ALL even Jane

There would never be a life for her up top, THEY had made her a cripple, THEY were the ones who throw her over that balloon and then left her to die here as some form of "punishment" against them. THEY were the ones who were evil NOT her and THEY were the ones who wanted her to burn in hell and not them.

She couldn't bring herself to think of there faces and the mere damaging fact that THEY forsaken her.

It felt utterly bitter to her and she couldn't do a thing about it, it was the fate worst then death and therefore she hated everyone.

But she couldn't bring herself to hate Syrena at least not fully. The woman saved her life and yet she couldn't remember the full details of HOW that happened. She felt angry toward her for making her think that the crew was still in Atlantis. Giving her a sense of false hope where there was none.

And there were feelings also that she couldn't understand when it even come to Syrena. Feelings she had to ignore, they were of something romantic and it was driving her up the wall. She had get used to a woman who hide behind a mask, who dressed and acted like a pirate and whose whole crazy persona was something she had to get used.

It wasn't as if she was the QUEEN or someone important in Atlantis, she thought her more as a rouge or an outcast that the savages must have rescued somehow. And she had become a common sight to them since then. Maybe she was injured during that time like her face was burned hence the mask

That was what Helga thought sadly and she couldn't bring herself to even talk with her. As they come back to the grotto and the Wicked Wench which since been beached near the waterfall as part of Syrena's repairs.

Climbing back on board the ship, both women wouldn't talking to each other and before Syrena said anything. Helga had already closed the door to the captain's cabin

Helga was felt like she was no longer a strong woman, just one who was afraid that Atlantis would make her as utterly crazy as Syrena

* * *

Syrena was not crazy but she may have done too good a job on Helga's mental state lately

She know Helga was "trying" to understand her but it was hard since founding out her only way home was gone. There was a sense of hopelessness with her now that saddened the Queen even more so.

Syrena had gone down to the ship's hold to where she would at least sleep and eat since the solder awaken. She wouldn't dare risk sleeping to bottom of the grotto or even eating in front of the woman. She was careful during the trip to the cove to keep her mermaid habits from someone who could and did view her with a curious nature.

Finally within the hold with all the unused cannons that hadn't been fired in decades and being the fabulous wealth of gold, jewels, diamonds and the centuries of other great importance did Syrena look around.

Then she saw it, a jeweled mirror, grabbing it gladly she had taken off her face mask.

Her true face staring back at her with sadness in her eyes. The pale skin give off a eerie but beautiful glow in the candle light, her teeth sharpen still like a shark's. The hair was flowing long and she don't much of a nose but yet she still smell things even from further away.

By the standards of the MER she was the most beautiful thing in the seven seas but she know humans would only see a gruesome monster.

She was unusual by the standards of the MER for even daring to look at directly into her own face and not hate it.

The MER of Atlantis would dare not see there actual forms hence the real need for masks.

And the various dresses they get from old ship wrecks or abandoned island statements. Such things like "Neptune's Law" were to justified the fact that the bravest warriors of in all of the sea were in fact scared by the one thing they couldn't fight or reason with...themselves!.

Syrena know it was the truth since she was the daughter to Neptune himself and even as Queen she could never bring herself to change that law.

Getting away from that she had thought on what Helga was thinking of her.

Closing her eyes, she had wondered what Helga actually imagined her to look like.

Opening them again, she was shocked to see a face that seemed to be badly burned and disfigured. Her hair was now gone and she saw it blacked all over. She realized that Helga had thought she been through some sort of accident much like herself. It made Syrena feel even more sorry for her.

Once again closing her eyes, Syrena had to get another form from Helga's mind even from far away from her, she still reached it.

She had changed again into someone Syrena hadn't been yet, Fa Mulan. And with new form come the wave of memories and emotions that went with them.

Quickly changing again into yet another bald headed woman and it was someone rather vaguely important to Mulan. She had a huge black tattoo that reach all the way down her body and up to about her right eye. It was in the shape of a dragon.

Her name begin with A and one of her other names was Rose or something. But Syrena couldn't understand as why Helga was focusing on her.

She become Amelia Stevenson, she felt like a real upper class woman and yet Syrena had get the feeling that Helga was jealous of her and had to do with Jane.

Changing into yet another form, Helga's mind went back to Jane Porter. Syrena had felt like was beginning to know this woman all to well since the very thought of her played havoc with Helga's very well being even now. She also seemed to be still a calming influence to a woman who was made into being a weapon and not someone who should feel or care about anyone.

She wanted to marry this woman and yet Syrena couldn't understand if she cared what a effect she could have on her. It was damaging to think that a mermaid had come around to being the only one who felt like she wanted to protect someone who saw themselves as a "perfect solder" but she know no one was ever "perfect"

Syrena had decided to at last to change into Helga Sinclair herself.

It was surreal to see herself as a blond and a feet shorter by her standards, her look was not of anger but of happiness.

She had the notion in this form to go straight to the surface world and walk right into Whitmore's mansion and give that team of Helga's a piece of god damned mind as WHY they left her in Atlantis and never come back. She hated them for what they did.

She personally know that "The Conduit" was something that needed to be feared and not sold, it would end up killing them all just by being in the surface world. No one not even the MER could control it and whatever Kida's father know about it died with him. Although he must have told such a bullcrap story to tell the Professor then that he just wanted his daughter saved and nothing else.

The Professor still a villain in the Queen's eyes, there was nothing to justified any of the crap they did in the two short days they were in Atlantis.

They had played her culture as fools and she felt like that was enough to make wanted them the pay the ultimate price, she would WAR with them.

She crashed them with her army,she would make suffer as she suffered falling off of that god damned balloon, she would see them burn in hell and it's name would burned into them _ATLANTIS_

Breathing hard she was quickly changing into each and every face and form of the crew and each time her anger grow and grow. Finally transforming back into Helga

Now in complete and utter rage she screamed and throw the mirror against the wall. Her hands were still the sharpen pale claws begin ripping apart the treasure room of the ship.

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT ME" she yelled in Helga's voice

"AM A MONSTER BECAUSE YOU MADE ME THAT WAY"

She was no longer Syrena, in this form she really WAS Helga Sinclair

"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS"

"YOU LEFT ME IN THE HANDS OF THOSE MURDERING SAVAGES"

"JANE WILL NEVER LOOK AT ME EVER AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU"

All the rage, all the hatred and all the pain was weighting in on her because all at once she feel it. She broke apart her old maps of the Caribbean, she was tossing her own paintings, with her fists she broke the cannon widows. Tears were flowing down but these feelings were not her own but someone else's. She broke apart the candle lit table near to her. Atlantis would never except someone as monstrous as she know she was.

Without even thinking she went toward what was at the center of the room. A wooden figure head to place on the ship that not yet been finished.

Just as she was about to tear into it, she had stopped herself once she the face on the figure. Elizabeth Swann

Quickly she changed into Elizabeth, she looked now around the wrecked room. Her mind was clearing again.

The Queen covered her face in shame, she called her own people "savages", she wanted to war with a group of people she barely know. In short she was no better then Kida now and with same kind of rage as well.

She realized it was not desire that Helga felt but pure rage it become so powerful, it made Syrena lose control and forgot who she was.

Picking up a piece of broken glass, she was looking into the face of Elizabeth and much like Jane had a calming effect on Helga. So too did Captain Elizabeth had on Syrena, two upper class women who had in some twisted way of fate had fallen in love with two roguish unpredictable women who only saw themselves as monsters and did not care about it.

She had known Helga could never be welcomed right now into the culture of Atlantis, there was so much anger there. The very moment she would enter into her mind again would be madness on the Queen's part. And through it all she know Kida would be right about the dangerous surface people and there lies.

In short as Syrena begin to pick up what she had torn apart and clean up her beloved treasure room within the hold. She know that Helga Sinclair could NEVER be part of her world

* * *

MARYLAND

Jane Porter had come to the right address it seemed. A nice two story house at the edge of some pretty looking woods as fall had come that year.

It remained her of some of the homes she saw in some parts of England like Surrey, but she was not here to look at houses but to talk with Mulan

As she rang the door bell, she wondered why was even bothering with speaking with her since it was still early in the morning. Jane could still have time to visit her father in the nearby university but the questions of what Mulan know about the ULYSSES investigation had to be answered for her.

Looking around at the house she noticed some things such a wheel chair ramp and some lower handle bars along the ceiling to the entry way.

"Well now if isn't Professor Porter herself come to visit" She know it was deeply Irish and sexy at the same time. As turn her hand to speak she saw quite a sight.

A tall bald headed young woman even sightly younger then she was like around 25 was leading on the doorway smiling at her.

Her blue piercing eyes were looking back with sort of a smirk on her face. Then again Jane couldn't stop staring at her given the fact that she was completely naked. Her entire right side of her thin smooth body was covered by a huge black dragon tattoo. All the way from her feet to the dragon's face being apart of her right eye. There were some hints of green and purple through the dragon's form running down her side to her hips.

Speechless at this sight, Jane was trying to speak up again "Am sorry I CLEARLY have the wrong address!"

"Oh if your lookin for Fa. She's gone out to breakfast and wouldn't be back for awhile" the woman said as if she were excepting Jane to show up

"You must be Aurora!, Fa's girlfriend from Hong Kong?" Jane questioned

"She calls me Brier Rose as well my dear, i'll hear alot of about you in the papers. I hope there making up what they say about you?"

"I don't read them..." Jane was lying and Aurora know it, and she was clearly loving this conversion

"What should i tell Fa when she gets back?"

"Ummm...oh yes tell her if i can get permission to see Admiral Amelia personally and...and give her my breast!..." she was closing her eyes and trying to not to mean that

" I meant my _BEST_ and i bloody feel like going far away now...nice meeting you" with that Jane had run back to her taxi as Aurora smiled at her.

* * *

"Rose, whose was at the door?" Mulan asked in her own half opened robe as Aurora closed the front door and at the side of it get her walking cane.

"No one but a very opened minded neighbor of ours" she was smiling at Fa.

Mulan had felt sorry for her girlfriend given that the fact that she had broken her right leg in Hong Kong and she know living with that kind of pain of a horse riding accident wouldn't be easy to get over. Her black walking cane as she limped toward her love was in the shape of a Chinese dragon,

Aurora had pushed off Mulan's robe leaving her just as nude as she was. The two begin to kiss

There lips felt tender against each other, it was long and romantic for them but they had to end it too soon. Mulan had to asked though as they finished

"Do you hate me for what happened?"

"No...i'll would never live with myself if i did. Fa there are some people out in this big world of ours and all of them couldn't change the past. The leg was my fault, i'll get over my anger along time ago. That and meetin the gal who saved my life" she said happily

"But am a solder"

"A FORMER solder missie, your're with that handsome Whitmore now.

Plus you should realize that you and i proposed are selves we would soon be moving to Denver, Colorado. And buy back that ranch that one of your grandparents had" Aurora was sounding hopeful and trying get Fa off of whatever sad mood had hit her

"Can't forget Colorado but i guess what happened with Helga is still bothering me"

"Jane is a tough lass"

"Not in this case, she can't handle what i told you last night"

"I'll talk to her then and see meself about how she can handle it"

"Rose, why are you part of my world?" Mulan was shaking at her touch

Aurora thought about it for a second before answering "Mainly because you saved mine. Now let's see whats for breakfast now"

* * *

OFF THE COAST OF QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

The green haired and bare breasted Cleo had shoot out of the water of a beautiful sunny beach of a deserted island.

"I LOVE THE SURFACE WORLD!" she said happily through her golden mask as angry behind her stepped out Rikki who was less then thrilled to be here

"Yes, your're love it even more once they put in a fish tank along with the Loch Ness Monster and whatever the hell is in Davy Jones's Locker!"

Happiness was gone from Cleo as now she walked toward the center of the island with Rikki not far behind

They had entered into a huge wide opened cavern, inside as a number of unknown plants filled with colors that changed when touched. The trees that grow around it were also in strange shapes and sizes. The animals around Rikki seemed to ignore her.

They were something like Dinosaurs and yet there also stranger far bizarre creatures as well even one looking like a dragon near a entryway that Cleo and Rikki both know all to well.

"Hello there Walt" Rikki said mildly to the huge black dragon

* * *

Entering into a smaller cave, the orange haired general with her own bare breasts could finally asked as to why they here.

"Why are we meeting on Verne Island not oh...ATLANTIS!?" her black mask shake as she couldn't make out just stupid it was meeting here but Cleo was ignoring that

"Incredible isn't it, a entire lost world ego system not far from a major city plus there is no danger around here"

"CLEO!"

"Okay...okay, killjoy, i didn't anyone in Atlantis to get what am about to show you"

Standing aside, Rikki found on a table something that like eerily familiar "Is that a page from the Shepard's Diary?" she said quite shockingly

"It's actually called the "Shepard's Journal" Cleo corrected her

"And yes...sadly Kida was telling the Queen the truth though. The book is burned beyond repair all but this page which i can only guess was torn out during Kida's argument with that guy, The Professor."

"The guy who can somehow read Atlantean?"

"And of course Rikki since you know EVERY language on earth, why don't you take a crack at reading off of this chapter" Cleo said happily as Rikki was always up for a challenge

Looking closely at the page, she tried her hardest to figure out what it was saying. There was a letter there that was Russian

"It's..."

Or was it Greek

"It's..."

Roman

"It's..."

Romanian

"It's..."

Hawaiian, no New Zealand

"It's..."

Native American

Now she couldn't make heads or tails as what the heck was on this page. "It's GIBBERISH!, what kind of bloomin idiot would write like this?"

Cleo was laughing but Rikki wasn't getting the joke. "You are right on one thing, it is a shame that someone wasted there time writing it. And not figure out about people like our rather over eager visitors to not look at it carefully as i myself have done"

"Am not following you"

"Listen it is written in what you and i both know and that's Greek but this Shepard guy was cutting off and altering some letters"

"Ummmmm...so he's a not monk?"

"Hell no unless am reading this chapter wrong, he's talking about what the best fishing spots are through out the Ottoman Empire!.

Think about it, here this loser surface dweller guy whose just been to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. He's writing this "oh so awesome" book of what happened to him in what else but an "Atlantean" language that he makes up on the fly.

Anyone who is not careful in seeing through it would figure it's a "whole new type of language" and not for what it really is...gibberish."

"Wait Cleo...your're saying that group of cons were in fact being lead BY a con!?"

"Yes Rikki, that's exactly what am saying"

"But the way past the Levitation, the cavern road and finally right into the Old City was SOMEONE'S IDEA of a joke!" Rikki don't sound happy

"Not really, i figure he must have come somehow to Atlantis all by mistake. He was overly stunned by what he saw there and in some bizarre fashion write it in what he thought was Atlantean and was showing off the wonderful sights to his readers"

"In other words Cleo...IT'S A BLOOMIN MEDIEVAL TOURIST GUIDE!"

"And one that shows the Conduit in full detail am sorry to say"

"Oh god HE wanted to steal it, why wasn't the MER during that time at the ready to chop off this guy's head off?"

"Not really, if i remember my history correctly. The then Queen of Atlantis and her people had to evacuate the Old City when there was a threat of plague that was hitting all over the seven seas. She settled in the Arctic for the time being before the danger passed. He was wandering into just a completely abandoned city"

"And no actual real white haired dark skinned Atlanteans?"

"Not unless they all come from the city of MU!

Listen Rikki, they ONLY heard the native language of MU nothing more from both Kida and her father. Why else were none of them asking any of us in disguise about this super awesome new language that all by ONE guy know how to speak?"

Rikki was going back and forth within the cavern and she already know the answer as well " Mainly because of oh i don't know...THE CONDUIT they come to steal!"

"That's another thing that's been bothering me lately. They call it the "Heart of Atlantis" and was the time they were about leave" Cleo said rather gladly even if the subject was now very grim to the MER

"Okay...surface dwellers are FUCKING stupid to think we would ever name it that"

"I have reason to believe it call them!"

"WHAT?!"

"You and i both saw how that "gift" worked when the lava neared the city?"

"Yes...with the GIANT STONE ROBOTS! and i don't even know that there were ANY robots in Atlantis"

"Besides that, i think it was trying to save itself and not us. Hence the force field, with all my reasoning i think it actually WANTED to go to the surface world!"

"It was trying to escape from Atlantis...umm why?" Rikki questioned as she sit on a nearby rock

"Who knows but it somehow was powerful enough to reach a land dweller. And make him THINK that he could read what is in reality a whole bunch of bloody nonsense. This could be explained in different ways and i would still no idea if any are the real answer" Cleo was trying make an answer to a question she herself had no idea of.

But Cleo went on "All of them though get suddenly and violently obsessed with just the idea of using the Conduit as something to make more of there mere money with. All without thinking they had backing of there billions of dollars already made in there own supplies and weapons which they somehow mindlessly wasted for there commander decides steal something he has little to no idea how to use.

They war with each other and The Professor's "side" wins but NONE of them were caring about Kida or her father just the Conduit and if we look at it, Rikki from her point of view she was just a pawn in this sudden chest game of "who will get Neptune's gift first" sad actually"

"But you said that he was drewin to it again how?"

"Dreams maybe, maybe this obsession of Atlantis come from a family line of failed explorers but his successes come at this horrible cost of men and women dying. But noticed how those remaining crew members seemed almost "calm" about it in a almost disturbing fashion.

They had just killed there own last remaining army escorts and yet all they wanted was that gold that Kida give them as a...afterthought rather then a "reward". It's hard to say but didn't upset you in some way Rikki?"

"I guess so, that "Commander" was still a dishonor to any honest solder. Me included and what the hell was the idea of him even getting more money if there were ALL being backed by this millionaire guy?"

"I couldn't understand it ether!. But i do know one thing the crystal was never this "Heart of Atlantis" to begin with!"

"WHAT!"

"In this torn chapter alone, this Sharped person makes a mention of the "Heart" living and breathing. We both know that the Conduit is sentient and given to the will of Neptune. And through my own reasoning what if the "Heart" is in fact a person and not a object!.

He or She is so massively important to possibly make Atlantis go through a new golden age. One that even caught the attraction of one medieval con man! "

"Your saying that somewhere out there is a true power of Atlantis and it is a someone to could change what Atlantis is as a nation!?"

"...YES but maybe in not so dramatic like that"

"Okay it's oblivious it's Kida or Queen Syrena then problem solved!"

"NOT that easily, i personally believe it's a LAND DWELLER!"

"OH YOU GET TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME HERE CLEO!"

"It has be or else WHY wouldn't our visitors end up being the new kings and queens of Atlantis by now and NOT Syrena"

"But what do I TELL SYRENA THEN?"

"NOTHING!, knowing her she'll throw us both in the dungeon for sure and as usual with her try to go and play "hero". It's the act we both will also get her killed if she not careful enough."

"What then?"

"WE will find them first and if possible protect them until they can grasp this rather huge responsibly"

Rikki was just absorbing all this to her rather insane information. She could think of million other ways to spend her time but "Searching for a SAVIOR for Atlantis" was not one of them!. Still it would take less stress off Queen Syrena. Against her better judgement she nodded her head toward Cleo

"Okay Cleo, the question i want to ask is who then is the real "Heart of Atlantis?"

* * *

"Helga...

Dinner is ready if you went it" Syrena said as she slowly opened up the door to the captain's cabin. Sinclair was still trying to ignore her, she can't face her not now or ever again.

She was sitting on the floor of the cabin. And she been taken to drawing everything she saw, a habit she picked up from Jane. Possibly it help with the stress she been going through and it wasn't helping.

She noticed that Syrena had picked up one of her sketches, one she did of the pirate. "It's beautiful and you have good eye for detail" Syrena sounded happy

Helga don't know what to say to this strange woman "I haven't noticed"

"Helga...please just talk to me, i can't take back what i said back in that cavern because you and i both know it's true!"

Sinclair had stood up a bit slowly and with her crotch limped toward her. "What is there to say then...I PUNCHED YOU right in the face as some of test and you are still treating like am a child"

"BECAUSE YOU HAPPENED TO BE ACTING LIKE ONE...right now. You can't live in under a rock and hope to god that you die there!.

And I CAN'T be your're replacement for your team, because i can't have a second in command. Your're also put me too much in danger right now!"

Now she was confused by that "What do you mean?" Syrena had turned way from her, she was lowing her head as if in deep thought before long. She turned back toward Sinclair.

"Take off my mask" Syrena said in a very serious voice. For the first time it seemed since wake up Sinclair was scared by the idea of what was beneath that mask

She could only wish as WHY she felt this scared and what was so frightening about this strange woman to saved her life.

With a shaking hand she slowly take off the face mask

* * *

What she saw made her gasped...

...she was staring into the blue eyes of someone completely and utterly beautiful. The lips of the mouth were black, her checks were full. Her face remained Sinclair of Jane's and yet she was different enough from her.

The eye brows were bridged and the general look on that face was of sadness.

"Ugly right...just like you always thought i was!" the now unmasked Syrena told her in what sounded like sarcasm.

Helga looked down at the mask she was holding "Why are you down here at all?"

"Your're what to know why...i'll tell you AM A EXILE!" Syrena seemed to be happy about that for some reason

"Like me?"

"Oh no, i exiled myself from the world. You think that your're the ONLY MONSTER in the world well look at me...You hate being the MONSTER but with me I embrace it...

I LOVE IT...because there's something wrong with the both of us.

You had the excuse of being made into something your're really not

ME...I never had that because i made one mistake and i had to live with it.

You can't imagine the type of life i have led because what i have done and seen will give you the worst nightmares and then your're wake up night after night and then realize you did those horrible things in reality and they never stop" Syrena was in tears now

Helga couldn't understand what she was going through but it was the intense sadness to her voice that she could relate to.

"So go on HATE ME!, am used it in fact i would enjoy it but don't EVER feel pity for me. You and i can never be alike because there's a danger there and THAT is something i don't need and i don't want right now"

Just as Syrena was about to leave. Helga had grabbed her hand, she had made her decision

Without thinking had wrapped herself around Syrena and with there lips close to each other had decided to kissed her fully

There lips against each other and it seemed to be like forever. All those feelings between them were out in the open now

And as they finished Sinclair felt it seemed for the first time being really and truly happy as she smiled. Yet she saw that the look on Syrena's face was of shock

She had quickly and gladly take Helga to her bed...

And then run out of the room closing the door behind her. Helga was now the one in shock at this action!

* * *

Syrena had run toward the middle of the deck of the ship. She needed to clear her head but thing was she actually can't

SHE HAD FUCKED UP badly with this person. She NEEDED to her to leave and obliviously this wasn't what she was hoping for.

The Queen had done too much of a good job with Helga's emotions, in essence she had completely cut off the solder from everyone the woman had previously cared about. There was NEVER going to be any rescues coming for her.

Jane WOULD never be coming through that cavern entrance to take her away from the "savages" that she now projected as being the ONES who hurt her badly, and she sadly know the woman only saw her people as being something dangerous and nothing more.

But there was still ONE person in Helga's life who she saw as being just as damaged as she ever was...Queen Syrena herself!.

The person who rescued her somehow from the volcano, the person who had nursed her injuries and treated her as a human being and NOT the weapon she always saw herself as. The same person who she saw as the new goal in her own life

Syrena had made the most terrible mistake of all with Lt. Helga Sinclair in all those days taking care of her...

... For Helga had decided to fallen in love with Syrena!


	8. Desire

OFFICE OF NAVY SCIENCES, NEW YORK

Jane had mixed feelings when come to seeing Amelia again.

She know that Helga was VERY jealous when she learned that Jane that been dating her former friend and now rival to her love once. But it was BEFORE she even met Sinclair, she hated the fact that Amelia would have always rubbed it latter in just to annoy Helga.

Jane felt she was NOT a prize to be won by ether women for her affiliations!

But Amelia had always felt very upset by the fact that Helga did won that affiliation anyways. She felt they were had ALWAYS been rivals in everything they did but she couldn't dwell on old feelings right now.

As she sit in Amelia's office surround by the various military awards and a whole wall filled with blueprints of some of the more nutter ideas she thought of. Jane had noticed one was of a flying ship in the shape of a 17th century royal naval vessel!?,she know that idea never fly with the navy at all!.

Bellow the wall was a table with two books that did caught Jane's eye, one a old beaten up old book on the Caribbean

 ** _THE SPARROW'S WAY: THE LEGEND OF CAPTAIN ELIZABETH SWANN_**

And another one on a legend of the sea but this one looked new by comparison

 ** _THE MERMAIDS OF ATLANTIS: DO THEY INHABIT THE LOST EMPIRE?_**

Personally she never thought her ex girlfriend would end up reading on such bloody nonsense!.

Still she peaked into the second book and caught sight of the first chapter name

 ** _Who is Queen Syrena?_**

That name again what so bloody important about a Arendelle myth to everyone but her?

"Still like looking through my books as usual uh.. Porter?" A rather elegant British accent asked

* * *

Once again she was startled, she HATED when people keeping on doing it to her!. Calming herself down she now looked into the face of her ex girlfriend

"Well it seemed old habits never die hard with you Amelia. Still into the legend of Atlantis i see?"

"You and i were once both obsessed with it, i wouldn't deny it but it seems was the ONLY one do not be apart of that obsession!.

"Mainly because we never told her about it" Jane answered

Jane smirked at that "Were ever she is now...IT ISN'T ATLANTIS, that's for sure"

"Am sorry to have kept waiting Jane but am to busy at the moment to think about...HER!"

Jane know that Amelia wanted to sound calm but by the looks of things she clearly wasn't.

"This isn't about that but the Ulysses actually"

"I was wandering when Mulan was going to broke when to telling secrets" Amelia seemed annoyed by this

"It was Aurora actually and she can be very helpful in a matter of speaking"

"The submarine of the Ulysses. Something I personally designed and it ends up a failure, yeah the newspapers are not letting that go, by the way"

Jane sighed "The papers do mention it was supposed to be power by steam!?. You and i both know HOW fucked up that sounds right? or the fact that the engine trouble would be the LEAST of there problems IF ALL DIE ANYWAYS by suffocation due the lack of air!"

"Okay they get that part wrong...mainly because MY engine wasn't build for steam!"

"What was it build for then?"

"I couldn't go into the exact details, Jane but i can tell it is something truly amazing"

"How?"

"It is something we found near Arendelle actually. Something that could power the city of London for five straight days and all without the need of refueling"

"Why wasn't this in the papers?"

"My sub was basically a prototype for what could be done with it. BUT I COULDN'T give you the details at all. This incident has already shut down half of the projects i had going for me. That and the sudden questionable disappearance of Commander Rourke"

"ROURKE!?" Jane know that name all to well but it was amazing to her that the papers failed to mention him

"Yeah well that slimy bastard WASN'T supposed to part of Whitmore's so called "test" of the ULYSSES. Since i was supposed to be leading that crew and not him"

"Am sorry Amelia about all this. But am as surprised as you are that Whitmore would want some one as money hungry as him to lead a rather simple expedition though!?"

"Jane...Whatever your're doing in finding answers, i would ask right now as a fellow English woman to just give up on that right now.

Rourke and...Helga were not the easiest pair to like on any expeditions but he sure as hell DON'T like you.

Just trying to take and then romancing his best "student" in the army. Dead or not, Sinclair was taught by a man who reeked of greed and it get into her too"

Jane had gotten into the habit now at closing her eyes when come to people mentioning Sinclair

"You think she is alive then?"

"A train wouldn't stop her but if they did ever leave her on a island somewhere, she would still survive. She been through many a jungle that's for sure and fight back in the end"

"Except this time i fear, Admiral she may not be able to fight back anything much less a jungle if already hurt too badly" Jane's voice broke at what was saying

She now had even more reason to hate the surviving crew even more right now. Amelia had lowered her head as she walked near to her

"Am just going to tell you just the name what we called it in Arendelle but don't ask anymore about it"

"What is it?"

"We simply named it the _"Fire Metal"_

* * *

Sinclair was feeling a million different things when it come to Syrena

She was giving her a hope in her that never had before now.

Here was someone who must been through such hell that would scare anyone else away from her but not Helga.

The kiss and her running away afterwards was just her trying to play "hard to get" for the solder. She had once known love was meant to be distraction from duty but now that Rourke was dead and gone it no longer mattered to her. He no longer mattered at all, she will NEVER follow anyone's orders ever again

Orders are what get her to be in this mess in the first place and she would never take anyone's crap again

Dwelling on Rourke only upset her more but she needed to focus all her energy on Syrena and what the future would be.

She had to think that maybe with her then being here in Atlantis would be less scary now

Sinclair begin to draw up the unmasked face of her rescuer, there was something eerily other worldly about her. As if she come from someone like a god or was a goddess herself in some way but that was pure wish fulfillment on her part if true.

Such power with the way of her voice or the long flowing red hair that now Sinclair was smiling at.

She no longer thought of any of the damaging words Syrena spoke against her, she now look at her as the thing that kept her sane in this mad new world.

The Professor and all her crew mates would never hurt ever again if Syrena was near her nor Kida or those savages.

Thinking happily of all this as she was about to open the door of the cabin when she heard Syrena spoke

"KIDA!...well what a surprise!"

* * *

Kida had come toward Syrena, both of them masked of course

The "princess" looked around at her beached ship, the Queen know that a thousand things must going through her. After looking though she back toward her

"My Queen, i heard Rikki's troops buried what remained of those invaders?"

"YES...there are NO MORE of them, you can be sure of that" Syrena's voice was trying tell something of the truth however hard that was

"Then i feel like i should be saying am sorry to you, your highness"

"No need, it has taken a very long trip though to make me realize how right you were in not trusting surface dwellers"

"My father would be very proud then. As am i"

Queen Syrena was finally smiling under her mask, she had finally reach her goal somehow of Kida giving up on such pity things like revenge

Kida had get out of her bag a small shiny black jewel and handed it to her

"This jewel is meant to represent according to MU that we should have peace in this land"

"It's a great thought to have then Kida. So i guess your returning to MU then?"

"No, not really. Am setting up a new home for me beginning with moving into the Archives. My father dearly loved Atlantis more then any of the cities he was in, I will stay because he loved it and NOT what happened to him" Kida said happily

"That and keeping his research notes"

"Excuse me..."research notes" on what exactly?"

"Why on the Conduit, what else. Personally am going to hide them away"

"...Of course" Syrena had no idea that he would have keep such things but he did

"Good day my Queen" Kida said as she jumped over the bow to the far clear water as Syrena was blinking at her.

Syrena had the sudden rush to go to her palace and tell Rikki and Cleo about this new information on the Conduit. It would finally answer for her so many questions as why her own father would have such a dangerous weapon be kept among the mermaids. And possibly how to finally get rid of it as well.

But then she remembered Helga and the fact that maybe she wouldn't have time for love after all

Unmasking herself and changing into the face she know that Helga would conformable with. Syrena opened the cabin door...

...to it empty and the widow opened!.

"Oh no"

* * *

Limping through the woods, Helga NEEDED to get as far away from the grotto. Kida the princess of Atlantis and Syrena!

She couldn't really understand it and she just feel like she don't want to. There was to much pain now with just looking at Kida.

She and her commander had already try to steal her away as some "prize" before that terrible battle. She had already known the outcome too well and it hurt to think that Syrena would talking with her.

She don't know this jungle and since she been seeing caverns for the past week, a jungle like this was something new

She even know where she was going and how far she had come from. The jungles of Atlantis were usually ones she drive past because of the nearby open cavern they made

There was NOTHING familiar to her at all about it. Every tree or bush was confusing to her, there animals's noses that were frightening by the sound of them.

She needed to rest given the leg, she felt utterly helpless and it was upsetting to her

"DAMN IT!" she screamed, her mind was now being clouded by how angry she was at Syrena. She was breathing hard, the woman shouldn't be friends with some one like Kida and it seemed she was judging her.

The sounds of the jungle were getting loader but she wasn't noticing.

The kiss from the day before was meaningless that whatever feelings she had for Syrena.

Just another person who was now "using" her like Rourke did or what the Professor did.

People who played there emotions and orders to her and she would obey them like the good solder should.

She needed now to find her own way somehow out of Atlantis, the cavern wouldn't be the only exit then?.

Maybe she wanted head toward the city but the savages would be on guard against someone like her again. She could reason with them but she thought would be madness on her part given how she treated them

She had no choice though in the matter and she was about to get up to start her painful walking again

A number of shadowy figures up near the trees made there move as three of them come down on top of her

* * *

Several hours later...

Syrena had come near the same clear jungle spot where she thought Helga may have rested

The Queen know this jungle like the back of her hand, someone new to it like Sinclair wouldn't stand much a chance in the vast jungles that covered Atlantis

With her mask back on, she had followed the rather easy trail the solder left behind.

She felt that Sinclair was completely scared of Kida.

And possibly that come from a number of things including her seeing Kida being taken over by the Conduit and the way she even interacted with that girl beforehand. Syrena felt like she understood as why she felt like someone whose was supposed be brave like Sinclair was would be not want to get through that ever again

Then saw the other tracks among the one foot she tell was Sinclair's. But the another ones she also know all too well

There were gigantic feet that ended in sharpen toes, the air around her was giving off a smell like that of hoard of fish in the open air

Basically not a very pleasant smell to be around ether except of course to THEM...

"Deep Ones!" Syrena said rather annoyingly

Deep Ones were basically the only "males" left in Atlantis. Hateful spinelessly evil rivals to the female MER.

Where as the MER were kind and gentle in some way however brutal, they nothing compared to the insane madness that infected the Deep Ones.

They were the followers of the terrible monstrous thing known only as DAGON. They made this thing however real or imagined as a sea god that would be powerful then Neptune himself.

They thought that through Dagon they would become the most powerful in all of the sea. It would then help with wiping out the mermaids and somehow the surface world would also fell in line with the twisted vision these creatures have of there "perfect world"

Queen Syrena had ordered Rikki mainly in handling the "Deep One problem". For they were also the only criminal bands to be active within Atlantis, whatever was needed to be stolen the MER could definitely bet a Deep One was behind it.

She couldn't even begin to think of how GREEDY they were also, which slightly amused her pirate nature.

But there was one other thing that she found also troubling about them that Helga just can't handle right now

For in order to please the mighty DAGON, the Deep Ones NEEDED TO HAVE BRIDES!

* * *

"HOB!, we have caught someone to would please Dagon himself"

The slimy thin fish man..."thing" talked as he throw Helga on to the hard ground

She was surrounded by a number of these weird fish headed men in dress similar to how Syrena looked. Except more disgusting in someways as some of them still had pieces of food on them.

This was something out of a nightmare, given how they all grinning at her and felt it wasn't a good thing

As they part for there leader to make his way toward her, a giant somewhat muscle bound brute that even surpassed Rourke and Sweet in terms of how strong he looked!

His "face" was look like some insane shark with human features like a small beard that growing out of his lower chin. His hands were claws and his dress of a British red coat.

"Well...well, DAGON would have a ball with this blond one, wouldn't he?" His voice was deep and dark, she just wanted to wake up now

As the leader touched her bad leg though, she had no choice but to react in pain

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!, she can't be a bride if one of them is crippled BADLY!" he sounded angry at his men

"Well OLD HOB, we found her not far from the grotto, so she isn't a MER, that's for sure"

What the hell exactly is a " _MER"?_ Helga couldn't understand that, how many more nightmares were wandering around Atlantis then?

"Your're know i was thinkin..."

"You don't think period!"

"...That maybe it's a SURFACE DWELLER much like the ones who were trying to steal that CRYSTAL!" the thin fish thing said as this "Hob" guy smiled

"Well now _THAT'S JUST DOUBLED THE PRICE_ on you my sweet lookin dear"

She closed her eyes

 _WELL NOW WHAT DO YOU THINK HELGA?_

 ** _THAT'S JUST DOUBLED THE PRICE_**

The leader was looking right at her now as he spoke "Get her ready!, and then let's leave these ruins before anymore of Rikki's patrols come through"

She had NO IDEA of who they talking about or WHY there was suddenly a price on HER HEAD.

* * *

Syrena had watched the scene carefully and figured with the "nightfall" soon to come. She would make her move with everyone fast asleep...easy

Then she heard all too familiar sound of a flintlock cocking!

"WELL...if isn't the MER Queen herself, come to pay us humble folk a visit...eh" Hob said sharply as she raised her hands

"HOB!...it's been a while since...is that a new set of teeth?

, AHAHA i forget when last saw you, i thought i punched out most of them!...And"

"SHUT UP!, YOU owe the money for when we last played cards. THAT and the fact that YOU CHEAT ME!"

"Ummmm...well you DID just steal from the New City Treasury and if i remember correctly it YOU that was actually cheating!"

"AGAIN SHUT UP, Your Highness, now as i see it we are going to ransom you to get people like that over eager general of yours OFF my back.

Then if it's not pay then am thinkin we should have you as the very first MER bride to Dagon...UNDERSTAND!" Hob shouted as Syrena just stood

"Am sorry but the wedding is off!" she knocked him into some tangled overhanging vines. She had use it to swing into two Deep Ones landing on top of them

Syrena had her hands on her hips laughing among the scores of angered Deep Ones,

This was going to be fun

She was about to get out her sword, she looked actually at Helga and then a thought come to her

As they jumped her, she begin just hitting with the handle of it and keeping the sward in it's place.

She was knocking them as well, she loved the sounds her feet made when hitting them

After that group was done it seemed, a whole new one appeared running at her from out of the nearby ruins. Looking up she saw that they had build a makeshift roof made out of the fallen stones. Knowing what to do, she grabbed one of the flintlocks from a defeated Deep One

Without looking she begin to fire at the critical bolts that holding up the roof. The Deep Ones were running toward at both sides

She ducked out of the way when she fired at the last bolt, as both stopped in there tracks to heard the sound of something to fall mainly the stones!

The stones hit hard against them, and she know full well that they would still survive somehow

Turning around she saw that the last remaining Deep One was holding Helga as if to back off or else

Ignoring that, Syrena turn her flintlock on him. Only to realize it was completely empty, she turned the gun to the butt end of it and hit him with it.

Knocking him as she caught a hold of Sinclair

"Why don't you..." Helga begin to ask but Syrena already know the answer

"There are better ways, maybe it's time someone start teaching you that" she take her to nearby rock and then she would recover the crotch that happened to be right under the now hanging Old Hob

"ACTUALLY Hob, i DID CHEAT during that game...i make sure you get a light sentence of about five thousand years!" she lightly said to him as she walked away from him

" HEY, THAT'S NOT FUNNY WAIT...SYRENA PLEASE WAIT"

Suddenly a bunch snapped as he screamed suddenly

* * *

Back on the ship, Helga was now drinking some of the best rum she would ever have up top

Syrena once again unmasked and laughing at some of the stories, Sinclair had told her.

If felt like this morning with Kida and those horrible fish men were now gone from her head . She still so much too ask of Syrena and yet didn't feel like it.

Maybe it was also the rum making the pain she really felt earlier had gone a bit. Such thoughts were still going her head though including the lingering presence in the back of her head of how Rourke of all people would see her now.

He would see NOT the tough _"partner"_ he molded into his own image but a weak soft woman who couldn't even defeat herself. A woman who run away from danger at the worst moment, someone who needed a complete stranger to rescue her and someone whose was completely scared of being in this strange world at the bottom of the ocean

But she still realized she WOULD never follow the orders of that bastard ever again.

This night she silently promised herself she let go of Rourke once and fore all. With him gone, she would let go of any of her vain greed as well

That "leader" of those weird fish men had mentioned the exact words she told at the city before "getting the crystal"

A price was on her head and she had a good idea as to who was that wanted it.

Princess or was it now Queen Kida, maybe she imagined it but her fear of that girl was still real. A dark remainder of they did and she felt she would NEVER see any of her love ones ever again if she was in an Atlantean jail. Yet still there was the ever mysterious and quite brave Syrena

She didn't care anymore as what other questions were bothering her when come to Syrena. Like how long it take someone like her to make friends with people like Kida or why don't she show up when the expedition become the terrible thing it did.

No she had to show up to rescue and heal a woman like her whose entire existence was now gone takes to just taking something like the "Heart of Atlantis"

She closed her eyes at the thought if anything like that ever reach such people like Jane or her family

If she was sick before at laughing at the idea that these people's crystal there link to long life and steal that thing for money. Well she was sure now of it, that thing ruined her own life or any actual chance to have one with Jane because she was as "greedy" and pig headed as Rourke.

Kida she felt had every right to put a insane bounty on her head now. But that would also meant that Syrena was in danger as well from that action as well

But after seeing her getting rid of those fish men, Sinclair know she was NOT weak. Sadly she was the one who may have need for that protection now

Sinclair couldn't help it but she needed another person in her life to direct toward and now that very figure was Syrena

"What is a MER?" she asked

Syrena had suddenly been giving her a surprised look on her face

Tightening the rum bottle she was holding, she giggled a bit before answering

"Your're looking at one _sweetie_ "

Now she was more confused then ever. As Syrena helped her toward the waterfall area.

Syrena had smiling the entire time as though this was natural for her to do.

"Now close your eyes and clear your head of any distractions" she said clearly to Sinclair. It felt stupid and childish to her but she did it anyways

"Now when you opened them, you will see your heart's desire" Sinclair noticed how Syrena's voice was changing from something deep and sexy into something like a English accent!

"You can open them now" she know that voice!

"JANE!"

She had come toward her with tears in her eyes as they hugged tightly.

Helga didn't care anymore as to the HOW, just that the need that Jane's presence given to her

This was her desire


	9. The Unworthy

She hugged Jane even though she was in tears, she don't bother and DON'T care how Jane was in Atlantis at all.

For all Helga know she was imagining the whole thing, it was the mixture of love and guilt that was forcing her to see this. Then again a few days or years earlier she had seen with her own eyes someone becoming a crystal as well.

Maybe she was completely crazy by now but she needed Jane Porter and here she was, it felt very real though.

She don't however understand as to WHY Jane was wearing Syrena's pirate outfit but that was a minor odd detail to her.

Jane Porter was the one good thing Helga had going on in her own massed up life. And now she was needed more then anything right now, she wanted the girl's forgiveness in what she did here. But she didn't dare feel like crap like she was now around her.

The brown hair that was hidden under the headband, the deep dark blue eyes staring back at her. Her entire face and body everything about her, sent shrives down her spine.

Jane Porter was the one good thing to come out of her troubled life right now but Atlantis had changed that somehow. Even in tears she felt angry, she wanted to hit something anything would do. She had been denied everything down here but somehow Jane was here.

"What's a matter my darling?" Jane's voice echoed over the sound of the nearby waterfall. Helga could barely look at her much less touch her after what she did here. Just leading against the ship would soften the actual pain she was feeling but the emotional pain was something else entirely.

She had turned back away from Jane,closing her eyes as her tears stopped.

It was scary for her to even believe that Jane of all people would be down here. Gone was the need for Syrena and back was the one wanted...DESIRED most of all. She breathed hard when Jane's hand come over her shoulder.

"Are you frighten of me?" That British accent trembled with the question

Helga thought of about it for a minute before she answered "Yes...i don't want you to see me like this...I DON'T WANT YOU TO JUDGE ME!"

"I am NOT the one judging you, Katrina" Porter always address by her middle name when she was troubled. "Your'e been doing that yourself lately, all i want is for you to be happy here"

Helga's fist hit the underside of the ship. Her expression of anger looking toward her. She just don't understand

"I CAN'T BE HAPPY...THOSE GOD DAMNED SAVAGES TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME. YOU DON'T FUCKING GET WHAT TYPE OF HELL I BEEN THROUGH HERE!. MY COMMANDER THE ONE MAN "I" PERSONALLY LOOKED UP TO ENDED UP THROWING ME AWAY BECAUSE HE GROW BORED WITH ME...'

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN YOU CAN'T FEEL YOUR LEGS. OR THE FACT THAT IN THAT SOLID MOMENT EVERYTHING IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS SHUTTERED BECAUSE OF THAT BASTARD. "

She couldn't believe it but she was completely furious at Jane

"I WOULD HAVE GLADLY GIVEN UP MY LIFE FOR THAT MAN...

BUT HE RUINED ME AND THEN I FOUND OUT "THEY" RUINED ME AS WELL BECAUSE THEY SIDED WITH THESE FREAKS..."

"Rourke is the one to blame here Katrina, your're have to understand or else this pain of yours will..."

"YOUR WITH "THEM"!?, MY GOD JANE, DON'T YOU SEE WHAT THEY DID TO ME!. "THEY" ARE THE MONSTERS...

"THEY" ARE THE ONES WHO ARE KEEPING ME AS THERE PRISONER!"

"Your're not anyone's prisoner, Helga, deep down you know that" Jane's sounded upset but Sinclair don't understand why

Tears were building up in her eyes but her rage was still coming out.

"NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. I NOW SEE ATLANTIS FOR WHAT IT REALLY TRULY IS, JANE...

IT'S A PRISON AND "THEY" ARE THE WARDENS...ALL BECAUSE I SAID "YES" TO THIS TRIP. I CAN'T GO HOME AND..."

* * *

Syrena still in Jane's form had rush over to hug tightly Helga as she broke down crying over her shoulder. The Queen was beginning to realize something with her.

It was the same type of feelings she had when she sent into exile, the same feeling of loneliness in a world completely alien and hostile to her. And also the same type of burning rage and hatred not just toward the ocean but ALL of the world.

It was eerie to think about to her being completely alone and now this surface dweller was going through the exact same thing.

"Shhhhh, it's okay...

Remember what your're promised to me in the Warisi village?"

Helga still crying had answered her

"That...that i was going to save the world for you"

* * *

"You know what you did here was wrong. One day Helga Sinclair you must face them again...

Your're going to have to face the Atlanteans and...Kida and asking them the hardest thing you as a solder would ever do"

"Which is what?"

"Forgiving them"

There was a look of utter fear on her face. These people hurt her and there was no reasoning with them or there rock.

She rather face a thousand of these disgusting fishmen again then face or even look at Kida. Jane wasn't understanding the fact of how hard she wanted to leave Atlantis, the remainder of a mistake of trusting everything on The Professor and how much she hated him now more then ever. And how much she hated the crew.

"No, Jane don't ask me to do that PLEASE...i can not do that."

"Forgiveness?"

"THEY" HURT ME JANE!. "THEY" TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME THE MOMENT I EVEN ENTERED THIS PLACE...THIS HELL AND ALL FOR WHAT...

A FUCKING BLUE ROCK AND I WAS SUPPOSED GET A PERCENTAGE"

Suddenly she saw how Jane's face want from confusion to anger. She pushed her away from her as Helga hit the sand of the beach. She wasn't going to walk anyway

"A PERCENTAGE? IS THAT WHAT ALL THOSE LIVES COST?..." Jane shouted at her

Sinclair was covering her face in her hands as if don't want to look at her

"GOD DAMNED...ANSWER ME!"

"YES...and no. No one was supposed to be here" she closed her eyes tears still streaming down.

"Will then Katrina, it's blood money then. Your "BLUE ROCK" isn't worth it in the end. And you must atone for it..."

"How?"

* * *

Just in Jane's form, Syrena at first couldn't think of how to follow up that question. She felt like she should be hating Helga and ALL she stood for. This careless wrenched group of hers truly hold no honor for the mermaids. They had thought by just stealing Neptune's gift they would have everything they ever wanted.

But she wasn't judging that group, she was judging the woman before her.

As a pirate, she had earn many more percentages then this girl could ever dream of. But that was meaningless now somehow Syrena thought as this woman even more of a pirate then she ever was, it's just she and her whole entire team acted before thinking. The sub, the men, all of there toys were useless cannon fodder for the prize at the end...

THE CONDUIT

And all for a meaningless percentage. Captain Elizabeth would be laughing at that for some bitter reason

As Queen though, Syrena had to make the right choice. This woman after all was part of a group of invaders who had just come into the nation of Atlantis. They were going to steal the Conduit thinking it was everything from a "lifeforce" to maybe some kind of energy source all for money. If she had been there and not Kida's father, she would have arrested ALL within two feet of the Old City. They would see bits and pieces of the city from the dark dungeon. They would have to play by HER roles and not there's.

Rourke and his pity little greed would be rotting until Syrena could play some more with him. She wouldn't dare kill him but he still suffer in a amusing way.

Darkly she would show him she was the worst villain on the face of the earth

The Professor would get some very hard facts by being founding out what the hell Atlantis would really meant. But like Rourke he wouldn't be the one in control. She would show him that her culture was not mere fools for his amusement. She would show him that Atlantis was not made up of simpletons who were weak minded in not knowing how to handle something as simple as a Martag. She would show him that they had a thousand different books and scrolls written by the best and brightest of the MER.

She would tell him that THEY were the savages here and NOT her people

She would at last she show him that HER people were not idiots that need someone as destructive and most of all dangerous as he was to be there KING!. But that wasn't what happened and through it all she thought most of all that Kida would still have her father.

It as much her fault for allowing people like this into Atlantis because she wasn't there for her people.

Her mind then settled on what path Helga would take if she had first entered the city and the series of unanswered questions going through her troubled head .

Would that be the same helpless woman before her?. Would she had known that she would be a cripple? That the "team" would for all the money in the world NOT be looking for her in the aftermath of the volcano's fury? Would they just be reminded of Rourke's ghost living through Helga ? What was the reason to leave her on that volcano floor? Why not come to her aide? Why indeed leave her here in Atlantis?

WHY was that coward Whitmore possibly replacing her with another female aide up in the surface world? WHY wasn't he upset or not by them leaving her behind here?

Would the real Jane Porter ever look any of them in the face ever again knowing that a fellow "comrade" was down here? Would Jane even search for her even if the surface world in general was basically giving up on her? And finally what so horrible about Helga Sinclair to them?

That last question she already know the answer to ...Rourke!. They don't rescue her because she was too close to there commander and they had "impress" his noble replacement. He let his own people die here and through it all Helga never once stood up to that simpleton until it was too late. Over a percentage of all things, he was supposed to be the smartest man in the room until the Professor come along. There egos most have driven the crew mad to see if THEY should side with whoever impressed them the most through the entire path down to Atlantis. Of course she knew it was the WRONG pathway from them to take anyways

Rourke and the Professor's test to the crew come down to founding the Conduit. One simply saw means for money while the other saw the illusion of the people of Atlantis "dying" without there resource by taking a "member of the royal family" . Of course the Queen saw neither it was a weapon nothing more and it WAS dangerous.

And of course for some unbelievable reason to the Queen, Helga would be his most loyal solder for Rourke's army. She would be his champion, she never saw right or wrong with what they were doing here. She never once questioned if he was going off the deep end and she was never part of the "plan" for which Syrena knew there was NO plan. Whitmore, Jane, they were distractions, meaningless oversights to the "cause" that was Commander Rourke and the greed he reeked and tried to justified to them all but Helga of course.

She was HIS "partner", it was sicking to the Queen he had poisoned her mind enough to even believe that. A special friend to his massive ego and sure there was nothing "romantic" in this merc game they played, but she would be a rich woman somehow and Rourke would be the means to the end...

...JANE PORTER'S

The percentage would fulfill the ultimate desire of Helga's.

Unlimited happiness for both Lt. Sinclair and Doctor Jane Porter...Sinclair, a dream made possible build on the back of what the Conduit could do and the ULYSSES crew would be HEROES! the world over.

Sinclair wanted to be the perfect hero for Jane, not the dark damaged broken woman but the fair haired solder that would carry there relationship to new heights. Jane would finally realize in Helga's mind at least that whatever bumps in the road they would have would disappear. No one would dare compare to the brilliance of Helga Sinclair!. She would see a savior that would make any problems she had to simply vanish...and the monster would be finally dead!. Buried under the weight of Sinclair's own ego.

No one would dare call her a "villain" to her face ever again because SHE would be the one to "save the world"

Yeah but of course someone like the Professor had to come along and spoil the fun. Maybe the Queen thought he was related to her old pal Blackbeard in some fashion?. It sounded like the same sort of stuff she remembered him doing in terms of playing off his pirate enemies causing a otherwise loyal crew to go against them and joining his!.

Of course he would kill them soon afterwards so not to dissimilar

And through him and his obsession with Atlantis, Helga's dreams come crashing down all around her. And in it's place was the hatred, the fear, the utter anger toward HER people and NOT her teammates. They were apart of her goals to win back Jane nothing more.

The MER were unexplained means to a end. A oversight to everything she ever dreamed of. Syrena had barely scratched the surface of what was going inside her head when come to the hatred she now expressed.

There was no such as hope left in her, she had broke under the pressure of everyone in her life forgetting her. And now someone ANYONE had take the blame for all the pain her body had been through since she awakened.

Gone was any trace of the femme faltle persona it was a meaningless disguise to the people who she felt be would coming after her. In it's place was someone was deeply scared of everything around her. She needed someone to fell back on and look up to!

Syrena thought at first ,it was love that Helga was expressing toward her but it may have been a false feeling. She now know she was just a replacement for Commander Rourke, even in death the man was taking his control over her!. The man was in some sick twisted way was a "father figure" for her, oh sure he throw off of a balloon and basically left her to die in Atlantis because he seemed to NOT be caring about anyone at that point. She could say she hated him with her heart for doing that but it seemed now that be meaningless lie on her part.

He was a demon that would ALWAYS be in the back of her mind. Syrena felt she just needed be alot more stronger in will to overcome him but she knew Helga just couldn't do that at all right now. Sinclair was too much of a sad case for the Queen. The tough stoic army officer was going be the one needed to be the one to overcome these demons herself but she needed some encouragement in order to do that.

The team was never the problem with her, it was herself and The Queen don't really know how even begin fixing that...

...except of course the trials

* * *

"My "father" once me about something that could help you but it's a fairy tale..."nonsense" She saw Jane cover her face in shame but hearing anything would do for her.

"Tell me anyways"

"If i remember correctly, there is a little known legend about Atlantis that people don't know about...

It goes that Neptune would forge a series of tests for those who felt completely dishonored or unworthy. They are various tests that meant to push the person toward there very limit and once one gets to complete them, they will get a prize at the end"

"What sort of prize?"

"Katrina, no one knows what that prize is from Neptune because most of them get kill during the first... few tests"

Helga was shocked that thing like this was actually in Atlantis at all including the god Neptune for some reason. Her mind was now focusing of were those tests maybe but still had a lot of questions about it. She needed something, anything to focus on because the pain in her leg was increasing and in a few short days possibly she wouldn't be able to walk much less stand. The numbness was coming back and she know that there was no way to stop it. She don't what to worry Syrena wherever she was now

"Why are these tests then?"

Jane was shocking her head at her. Out of tears she felt like smiling again as lumped toward her

"My dad called them "Trials" actually and you know him how he loves to label things. But seriously Katrina, you mustn't take or find these trials here"

"WHY NOT!?"

"Because they say that the trials of Neptune are meant to test character and they are really hard. The legend also says that the Sea King made them to test his daughter and Helga last time i checked you are NOT someone born of a god!"

"It doesn't matter Jane. I feel am really for ANYTHING and have to find a way out of here..."

"It's going to get bloody well KILLED!"

"The savages get back there rock. I can't atone for i did but i don't feel like saying "am sorry" ether.

THEY broke me and if in my last dying breath of tearing of ALL of my hatred for them...I WOULD BROKE THEM TOO!...

They take you away from me and I WILL HATE THEM FOR ALL TIME. I wanted marry you but then Whitmore felt i was really for this trip and LOOK what happened!"

Before Jane could say anything to her, she just needed to get all the anger out of her to the love of her life.

"I wanted that normal life in the Warisi village, in our treehouse in Africa but i know that I would always disappoint you in someway. "The Perfect Solder" isn't perfect after all, i can't even begin to tell how much i love you and... it's hard. That feelings i had for you run so deep and then just stopped at some point.

I can't understand at first why...

"That funny British accent"...

that way animals gather around you and the fact that we had a pet lion...

or...or the way the tribesmen listen to you and the way you talked them into building a house in the middle of the village..." She begin laughing at that point after all the bad memories to have, she felt like feeling good again.

"We have a pet lion?"

"Yes...and no because i...PUSH YOU AWAY!"

* * *

This was sudden SHOCKING turn of events for Queen Syrena!. The woman whose form was in now had in fact broken up with Lt. Helga Sinclair!

That was why she punch her in the cavern, she thought the Lieutenant was in a really healthy relationship. But now as it turn out NO that was not the case at all. Just bring up the fact that Jane of all people would be looking for her ex was kind of funny to the Queen but in a sad stupid sort of way too.

She was really clung to all these great memories of Jane Porter out pure regret. The girl of her dreams was in fact NOT wanting to speak with ever again!

This was not helping her encouragement to even be in this form now. This wasn't her desire at all but a very big guilt trip...

Queen Syrena, the most beautiful of all of the MER had to out of her own sense of regret had to be Helga Sinclair's emotional punching beg...

"Boy this going to fun" Jane's voice said with extremely bitter sarcasm


	10. Monster

"You left me?" Jane said firmly as Helga remained silent. This was so much harder for her then the early talk of forgiving those beasts. All the money in the world couldn't make Porter come back to her and mended that broken bleeding heart that Sinclair had no idea how to fix.

"I had my career to think about, i wouldn't deny it. And every time on this trip ,i kept thinking to myself "this is for Jane" or "maybe Jane wouldn't mind what i doing" Helga said in straight forward manner and getting back into her stoic facade again. But telling from the disappointed look in Jane's eyes it wasn't working.

"Oh no...this WASN'T about me, Sinclair. This was about YOU and IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT YOU.

Helga Katrina bloody Sinclair, the woman who found the "Heart of Atlantis" and who would FUCKING compare to HER beauty. HER triumphs, this...this broken damaged little harlot who ended up wanting to "save the world" or some insane crap like that.

The woman who should have been more BRAVE to both her team and herself. The very woman who thinks her entire life has been nothing more then FUCKING lie!"

Helga had been through this already with Syrena. Her faults were becoming more and more outlined for her the moment she awakened to this nightmare world.

She couldn't bare to look at Jane for that very reason, her life was in the service of others. Jane NEVER understood that or why Sinclair give up so easily on there blooming relationship. She never tried to understand Rourke and her crew. She HATED Preston Whitmore and all he stood for, she did once date him before they met.

She never thought to reason as to WHY Sinclair had to justify or explain her actions to her but no more.

Sinclair had to broke up there romance well before this trip. There was too much at stake she felt if she had brought back that rock.

She wanted Jane to see the hero she felt she was! but now she felt like every action here made her more and more the villain. Leaving her was at one time the best course of action for her and the career she had with Rourke. But now that was a outright lie and everything since then was pain.

Helga had closed her eyes as she speak again

"Think what you like "Jane" but i know you are nothing more then some insane illusion brought on by my guilt!. You...you have NO idea what kind of life i led because my decisions were my own NOT yours!.

I can't BE the person you wished me to be...I CAN'T forgive the people who hurt me because i know for a fact that EVERY bit the monsters you think I AM. I will continue to hate them because EVERYTHING that happened to me CAN'T BE UNDONE.

I wished to god it was. I will never get out here and...and every single time i wanted to get back to you. And i keep failing, to you have ANY idea what this hell is like or why i can't move on from that?."

Helga had no idea why she said that. For all she know Jane Porter had given up on her like the rest, her mind was trying to make sense of something that she fully know was guilt. She should have been braver in the face of Jane but it would never help. She had thrown away a good part to her life and whatever "punishment" Kida had in store wouldn't feel worse then baring to look at the "Love of her Life" again.

Atlantis would never let her go because she had failed in every one's eyes. All but Syrena whose kindest toward her and surprised her the most, this woman ACTUALLY cared about someone who had lost everything. No one else would have saved her from those strange fish people or put up with the terrible crap Sinclair had kept bringing with she would never replace Jane in Sinclair's mind. She just needed to hold on someone who wasn't about to throw her out of there lives as carelessly and cruelly like the team did.

Jane wanted a life with a woman who felt she was always on the path of self destruction and Jane just didn't care about that.

* * *

"I WILL NOT MOVE ON FROM YOU HELGA!.

I will not allow you to think your entire life was spent making one bad bloody decision after another. Until you start blaming the whole entire world for your own mistakes and NOT fixing them!."

"Jane" sneered at her but it wasn't of anger but of pity. Almost sensing it seemed her own thoughts, Dr. Porter seemed unimpressed by the former Lieutenant's entire anti social attitude against everything including the rampant hatred toward the Atlanteans and trying to justify all of it.

She edged toward her and it seemed all too scary for Helga to be this close to her. Even as Jane spoke again she felt like the world was going crumble all her around again much like finding out her only way back was gone but this time it so much worse.

"Fix them by fixing yourself, let me help you." The pity for her was growing more evaded in Jane's voice and it was calming in a sad way."I been trying to justify why you hate this world and not expect it but now i know..."

"Know what?" Helga sounded more broken up as Jane gladly touched her cheek

"You can never be happy. You were throw off like garbage by him and there was no one there for you. Everyone was so caught up in the chaos and then was you...God i can't even begin to imagine the type of pain running through your entire body. Every...broken bone...every inch of you screaming in terror. That..that must the moment when you wanted to be angry at the entire world.

But you can't because everyone of them hated had to leash out at someone and that was the Atlanteans, that was "princess" Kida. She must be the scariest person on this earth for you. She has everything that you felt you will never have. And now a life filled with the thought of once again tearing you down"

"How would you know that?"

"Because it doesn't exist Helga. Kida is NOT coming after you, for all she knows you dead in the volcano. You keep on thinking she is the "savage" here when in reality it was you who were and always you where the real savage. You come here high and mighty expecting at the end of this trip..."money" or was it some insane overbearing way to impress me?. What the hell made you think that any of this SHIT would ever won me over?"

"YOU LEFT ME!" Helga slammed her fist against the sand

"NO IT WAS YOU WHO LEFT ME, GOD DAMN IT HELGA SINCLAIR...WHY?" Jane was really pouring her heart and soul into her with this question and she don't feel like answering it.

"What was so horrible about us that made you quit?, you were giving up on the best thing to ever happen to you and you run away from that. Give me a reason to not mourn you and to move on with my life.

To end this pain i keep on feeling each time we talk, what was it that made you think that i am a monster or that everything and everyone whoever loved you must now be because you are dead!.

Why should i keep on thinking that ever time am looking at the team that you are NOT with among them.

That...that "they" survived and you don't or do you think that Helga fucking Sinclair has looked at herself as a bloody coward and villain and that my love for her was something false. That i should just move on and that everything good within my relationship was some wild fantasy with a woman who is clearly on the path to self destruction. A woman who couldn't handle the way her life and Atlantis was the final nail in that coffin leading towards it."

Jane was red in the face from all that. She actually felt sorry for her and that was something she can't handle without making up her own reasons but she would be betraying Jane's feeling in the mean time. She closed her eyes as she talked

" I dreamed of a life with you and...it would always be ending in me giving up. I can't really take that life because it means giving up on EVERYTHING i ever built for myself. You can't not begin to imagine the type of life i have lead. It was hell and do really think that I WILL NOT ALLOW someone i love on the entire face of the earth to live it with me."

"That type of thinking can destroy you from the inside Helga" Jane gasped, she would never understand

"I DON'T CARE!. I will not going to allow you or my future child to go through what i want through. I give up because that was the only way to make you from ever needing someone that hates everything within this life. And i will not allow you to feel pity for me because it is something that is weak for me. I am stronger now then i ever was because the pain had to go somewhere, ANYWHERE and i tried thinking i would keep making the right decision this time and not the wrong ones.

The Heart of Atlantis was going to be the right decision and I DON'T think of the costs...i don't think i would end up in a crazy screwed up world at the bottom of the ocean. That i would lose the feeling within my very own legs...

That the people who were my friends ended up leaving me...

That i would be rescued by some crazy woman in a mask and who dresses like a pirate who clearly loves those savages. SHE is the one person who is truly making sense in this world more so then if the Professor ending being the "king" of it." She covered her face and begin bitterly laughing at that.

Never quite noticing Jane's expression about her last few sentences as Porter spoke a bit "A crazy woman who " _THINKS"_ she's a pirate!?"

"AHAHAHAHAHA...For the first time i actually finally get what meant to think this place being full of "wonder and beauty". "She" lost everything too and...AHAH she wanted to move on and somehow finally found it in this completely insane..."world". Yet i can't because it has be the worst place on earth for me and i can not escape from it.

Yet if there is no one really after me then i guess i could live with that."

"What of your family then?"

"They can go on without me. Let them think i dead at least something like a hero, let them believe whatever crap Preston's people cooked up to make them let go of me. My sisters should proud of me and...and it's painful as hell but it has be done for there sake and not mine"

"Preston, you like him don't you?"

"AHAH whatever new pretty "assistant" he has, let him be happy. I never wanted to be apart of his special projects anyways. Let nonsense like "Project Blue Water" remain as deeply buried and dead as me."

Jane looked at her confused "Wait, what the hell is "Project Blue Water?"

"A project that according to Preston was in his own words "was going to change the world" as if me and...and Rourke ever felt like "we" would ever to apart of such nutty falsehoods without pay. So yes he can burn in hell for all i care"

Jane had the look of not wanting question her fewer about Whitmore. Moving on with more questions of the sudden upbeat yet bitter mood Helga felt like putting herself in.

"Mulan and Amelia?"

"They were always trying to upstage me all the time in training. Mulan is the one person on the entire earth who thinks the way to brilliant army thinking is too rush into it straight on. That the enemy will always see reason were is none and that she will won based on sheer luck and not brute force!.

And Amelia is someone who believes she is a pure genus filled with the wildest,craziest ideas that are benefit mankind. Even if it means stupid things like telling me that she would one day a floating ship in the shape of a 17th century vessel..."

Helga eyed the Wicked Wench when saying that and yet for reason Jane seemed to a worried look on her face. But Helga felt like ignoring that

"...Believe me, she thinks she is some sort of mad genus whose using the Navy's resources to think up whatever comes to mind. However incredibly insane it is!"

Jane was laughing at that "AHAHAHAHAHA...oh i happen to know someone just like that. Man would she be surprised by that AHAHAHHAHAHAHA"

Seeing Jane just being happy around her was...amazing for Sinclair. It was surreal as well since it felt like ages to think of them together and not have the emotions run high. That Helga was doing something right in her own life again by being her again.

Still smiling Jane continued "Aurora?"

Before answering Helga looked at her legs in the sand "She is...is someone that loves the craziness that is Mulan. I have nothing to say or think of anything wrong with her. She's get this full body dragon tattoo down one part of her body, said that it appeared on her one day before her horse riding accident. Said that a fairy give it to her as a "warning" or some ill omen. And then a few days later she...this tough Irish rose ends up in a coma and no one has any idea why." Helga was always passionate about talking about Aurora

"She was in that hospital bed for what seemed like days on end. And...and then Mulan shows up to tell her that it was HER FAULT for causing this horrible accident. That it should have been HER in that bed and not Aurora, who was then just this random stranger living in Hong Kong with the worst luck imaginable" There was alot of irony in that statement for Sinclair when she thought of her own current state of mind.

"You know what Mulan does when she done saying in so many words that she is sorry for all the crap she did to her. At the end of it she does the most stupidest thing ever...she kisses her. She barely knows this girl and that's enough to justify a kiss and the most amazing thing happens...

She awakes up ahahah. I can't believe a clumsy dreamer like Mulan ended up with this utterly sweet fairy tale princess like Aurora and i can't be happier for them."

Jane seemed utterly worried about what she was asking next about Aurora for some reason

"What is wrong with Aurora?"

"She is crippled in her right leg. she can't completely walk with some help and she is utterly happy with that. Aurora told me that she faced her demons and won despite losing everything. She was in a coma and her entire life afterwards was not hell like it is for me. She thought that a "Prince Charming" would come to rescue her from all the crap that the world offers and that she would won in the end. And guess what it turns out that "Charming" is Lt. Fa Mulan of the Hong Kong army corp. How utterly insane is that?"

Jane seemed to thinking about her next question now

"You think that am not here, that this is your guilt..why would it be guilt and not something like desire to show up as me?"

Helga don't want to answer but she felt she had too

"Oh god...i imagined you with me here and..and how utterly disgusted you would be with me. That my life is over the moment you see me as you feel i truly am to you. That i could never live up to your high exceptions you set up for me. Not as a solder, not as the merc, not as the femme faltae. Not someone who worked for Whitmore day in and day out or as the equal partner to scam like Rourke.

NO!...you would see a woman who let every man and woman on this trip die. Who laughed at the very thought of allowing more death to follow once a lifeforce was taken from there city for money. That every time you would look at me, you would see something inhuman. That can never ever touch again or feel the attraction we seemed to have for each other. Someone whose utterly afraid that the whole world is the one is the one mad and am the only one whose sane. Because i realized a long time ago that the world is shit and that the only way to live in it is do it for utter force of will!.

And someone as kind and daring as you would NEVER understand that!"

Little she did realize that "Jane" felt like she was...all to well

* * *

Syrena earlier feelings toward Helga kept on changing. Although one thing had remained the same. Guilt, that was one thing that haunted Helga Sinclair. She would never be happy in her life and Syrena still felt like this very "night" it had to end now.

She was jealous of the very people who she called her "friends". They were the ones who get everything she would never get. They were the ones that caused her to look at her own life and to see utter crap. Jane was the only thing that kept her from completely giving up, but once the broke up happened. She would always be the one good thing for her life and she throw that away. It was protect Jane from the harm of just marrying her. That every damned time of being with her was a false illusion and she would once again won her back in anyway possible.

Whatever punishment be damned. The talk of money and of the trials of Neptune,complete utter bull as they were, of her utter reckless in the face of the Atlanteans and finally the true real heart of the matter Jane Porter herself. Syrena felt like Helga Sinclair beautiful as she was and as damaged she felt as the Queen was. Would never mix, she ruled over herself in such a fashion that no one would truly know or see her as she saw herself.

It was now like Syrena was seeing a utterly distorted version of her life and herself within Helga. Someone who shut off everything that was good or redeemable and throw that away and excuses making up for such things. The utter lack of what drive her to do horrible choices in life and finally the fact that the Conduit kept being brought up as if it were a bad joke that would not just go away from her head.

The Queen was finally getting she felt into seeing Sinclair's true nature and she now had to stop that from destroying herself and who could dare see the fact that if it were anyone else but her, they would have seen a hopeless angry wreck and throw her into the nearest dungeon.

She couldn't deny to herself that she felt the same "anger towards the world" that Helga did.

She felt like a charming enough rouge to understand the same feelings. Its just the added fact that she know once again that The Conduit was NOT a life force and that even if she would sorry for it, it could because it just take over Kida and nothing else.

And not for being the final goal in whatever stupid disastrous bone headed scheme some reckless commander thought of would work. This still a whole new level of low for the surface world Navy to not foresee it and it had come at such a high cost for a such a scheme like that to work. The crew and The Professor never felt remorse which Helga was now feeling and it seemed to have been with her since she wake up.

In some twisted fashion they had caused the monster to be more stronger then ever. And it was going to continue grow in terms of how much guilt she would feel. How in the hell was this person was supposed to be Jane Porter's "champion" if she was not a hero in the first place!. How in the world Jane understand such untapped anger that Helga projected, how could she marry a person who just ended up disappointing her?

Everything had been made for her and Syrena felt like she was still the solder following orders, yet she was so bitter and scared that she saw nothing else but her pain.

She couldn't realize her pain could healed and yet that would a small comfort to her. She wanted her and Jane to have a child together?

How would that child feel being raised by a woman like Helga as there mother? Would that child except or reject her like the rest did?. The mere powerful fact of this relationship between Jane and Sinclair, made Syrena feel something that she felt she had long forgotten about.

The love she felt for Captain Elizabeth Swann, except Syrena know it was NOT the insane train wreck that Jane Porter had given for Helga Sinclair.

Whatever problems she had with Elizabeth was nothing compared to what she had been seen here. She had felt that something indeed broke inside both of them that day they separated and the way Helga wanted to "won her back" was the only real goal for her now. The feelings of the crew mates,Rourke, the professor and sadly the MER were meaningless compared to trying to just impress Jane Porter back to her.

Sadly it was also the very thing destroying her and Syrena felt she had to stop that.

But it was a double edged sword simply because Sinclair would have to put her trust into the very same "freaks" that hurt her. And that freak was Syrena

And there was only one way for Queen Syrena could think of that could take Helga off her warpath.

* * *

Jane kneel on the sand next to her. Her silent mixed expressions dance across her face as if in deep thought. Helga was trying to back away from her but she felt like she didn't want to move. Imagining her here or not the old feelings were returning to Sinclair. And it made her feel ashamed and just looking into her eyes again was bring so many things back to surface for her.

Along with breathing heavily tears had started to come down her face again. Jane was smiling at her as both her hands moved Sinclair's face wiping out the tears

"I understand in...ways you would never began to think of, Helga" she said softly "Your pain is so great that you just want to give up. But i will NEVER allow that to be the one goal in your entire life. You're just being alive is a second chance!"

"I DON'T DESERVE A SECOND CHANCE"

"No, i will never believe that. Helga Sinclair giving up and for what? Let me tell this...I am not about to mourn you as what me to, that you're life was EVER a lie and that the happiness between us was something false. You can still have the chance to be with me BECAUSE I AM NOT GIVING UP ON YOU." Jane's voice kept getting stronger

Jane continued "I been through this before with you Sinclair, and each time i have felt like the entire world was against us. Now i know it was also your personal guilt, it was against us as well but i have NO reason to fear it as you do..." she paused as if thinking of what to say next

"...If it's the very reason for me to leave again...then i'll leave. I will not allow myself to be chained to your fate.

I'll make my own and i will tell Amelia and Mulan to never find you. I will allow myself to move on if that's what you wanted...

I will allow you to live the rest of your life as...as you see fit. I will tell your parents that you dead a hero and NOT a coward...

...That WHITMORE and his fucking crew can go straight to hell and that it was there ignorance that brought you into this..."mood"...

...That i personally burn down that house we build, BECAUSE it will remind me of you each and EVERY time...

...AND then Helga, you will know that the love between us has truly ended. In the end Helga i will be the one mourning you, IS THE FEELING THAT WANT OUT OF ME?"

Helga hugged Jane as she cried. She felt that if that she would never see the actual Jane ever again,

And it was asking alot of tough questions

this illusion was asking her to not give up on each other just yet.

It asking her that ALL those men were just blood money for the rampant destructive nature of the Professor and Rourke as well as the crew.

It was asking her that she still cared in some small way about her own personal friends

It wanted her to forgive the Atlanteans, the people who she know hurt her.

To even go so far and forgive Princess Kida, a woman who right now was putting a bounty on her head.

That leaving her for the Commander was the worst mistake she could make.

And that she would was ready to mourn her as a dead woman.

She felt like it was this was the hardest choice to think of. And through it all Jane was not ready to give up on her as she herself had already done. It was a choice that she would never had thought of or made. She would never win her back, she would leave forever this time and never back. Her own pain was indeed nothing compared to the kind of pain Jane had possibly been going through. Jane was in someways her heart and it was something she felt she lost down here.

But in order to allow herself to live again then it would also mean allowing her to live her own life and not through Sinclair.

It would mean giving her up and never allowing herself to see the happy life she would led with Jane. Whatever life she thought for herself was indeed selfish and wrong.

Porter would be allowed to think of Helga Sinclair as dead and buried under the Atlantic ocean along with the remains of the ULYSSES. That being dead would mean she would at the very least be separated from Kida's hatred that she felt should aimed at her and someone she loved.

Jane Porter was going to be the last remainder of something good in her life and she NEEDED to make that feeling go away.

Kida and her anger towards her was her fault and hers alone. This is was her punishment and it was possibly this feeling that the bloody ghost made what to her to want to have. In the end the ghost won as well as Kida for Helga to even be thinking this.

She was no longer a solder and therefore she would forsake what hope she had

She had made her decision

* * *

"Tell them am dead..."

Syrena through Jane's look was of pure confusion and shock "Wait what?"

"...You CAN'T mourn for me and that's...that's sicking to me. Am allowing you to move on, you will tell me whatever story you want. But tell them i am dead, the things in my life that i WANTED are gone now and forever.

I will allow this chance to leave me in peace here in Atlantis and to NEVER return. I will live with my commander's sins and i will no way to redeem them. Because they allowed everything in my life to come right back at me and they destroyed it."

"You're serious about this?"

"YES!, i will not allow you Jane to live in my shadow and i will not allow you to think for me. What those savages did can't be undone!. I never want to hurt you but i can't change the feelings had for you and now i know i was wrong about them."

"This is another breakup?"

"No this me letting you go. This is me telling you that giving up on me is the best thing you could ever do with your life. I want you to tell them to stop searching for me."

"But...but the good memories you and i had together then was nothing?"

"What "good" ever come out of us being together Jane?...

...I AM A VILLAIN! I AM A BEAST. Which one of those things did ever found appealing, because there not. I am trying to separate from you from the pain,hatred and anger you know i have and then you could say that mourning me was alot easier then it feels" Syrena noticed she was saying that with sarcasm but it was every bit as bitter as her own.

The Queen was completely utterly surprised by this. Helga Sinclair was supposed to be a fighter to the end for Jane Porter, her own champion and by the looks of it. That champion was going to sacrifice that one good thing in her life to live here in Atlantis

By the sound of it she was cutting her ties forever

It was a move Syrena felt she had to make after she had found Sinclair. And it seemed the idea of self sacrifice had gone through her as well. It was just not a easy move to make for a land dweller and yet after all that happened with her, she understood it.

And it also felt like she was making the wrong decision, yet Syrena know it was for the best.

It would also mean Jane would never have a future with her ether, the Queen was not heartless. But Helga whatever she was thinking was doing it for Jane's well being. Her giving in the fact that the entire world thinking she dead would also mean she could never go back to the surface world.

Her friends,her family she thought would be allowed the comfort of never knowing her horrible mistakes within Atlantis.

Syrena also know this was pretty cruel for her to even allow them to go on believing Whitmore's lies to live on. Such things she couldn't believe she was just going allow that to happen. And yet she couldn't overrule it.

She closed her eyes as there faces so close to each other

"Okay then, this will be the last time you will ever see ...just allow me one more thing for you Sinclair..."

Helga bitterly smiled, Syrena know it was hide the pain of all this as she finally said "what?"

"...Kiss me, one last time"

* * *

Nether figured out who want first but she felt Jane was always over eager to get on with. Her lips felt the same as ever and Sinclair was feeling she missed that. Everything don't mattered except Jane. There lips connected smoothly and it seemed by the moving of her hands down her sides as to what she wanted out of her.

She was shaking again. Even with just being around her, Sinclair felt terrified to even show the rest of her body. Weakly she crossed her arms over her chest as Jane's lustful face looked on. "Don't deny me this" she said calmly as she continued to unbuttoned the top of her loose shirt. Jane had started to kiss away from her lips down toward her neck. Both of them couldn't stop from moaning as there lust for each other was boiling over.

Helga watched as Jane take off her own shirt smiling as she did. After throw it somewhere on the beach, she had gripped Sinclair by the hands and with some help begin to head back to the deck of the ship. There she allowed Jane to take off the old fashioned white shirt that Syrena give her and the one thing she had been wearing since waking up. Jane decided to playfully throw that overboard as well.

They were now two women who were now both topless within the grotto. And Sinclair kept thinking in the back of her mind somehow of just how "different" Jane felt as opposite to what she was used to seeing from her. Maybe it was just how this was feeling sooooo real to her that she wasn't going to question it. Given her leg Helga felt like pausing there lovemaking as she lead on to one of the masts of the ship, the feelings were never going to leave her when it come to Jane Porter but the actual attempt of letting go of them would be the bitter and cruel thing Sinclair would ever do. It would mean she was going through with cutting off those feelings forever and she would never get them back.

Knowing that she had now the courage to ask Jane the one thing she ever wanted from her.

"Marry me" she said boldly as tears come her face as Jane begin to smile across her face. Helga don't know why she didn't do this earlier and it was may have been because of the pain of the crew abandoning her as well as everyone around her just increasing that. But somehow she know Jane would never do that to her, it was a mistake to have her leave and now she wanted mend that.

Jane turned away for a moment still smiling as she answered "YES...of course yes, i will be your bride, how could i ever reject you Helga Sinclair" They had both begin laughing and smiling as Jane rushed to hug her again. The feeling of there bodies against each other was something Helga longed for and it seemed she was not going to miss it ever again.

* * *

WASHINGTON D.C

Jane Porter had found the perfect sleeping area atop a whole group of trees near the Lincoln Monument. She felt conformable sleeping completely nude plus the fact that she would never take up Mulan's offer of even staying at Whitmore's mansion.

But this night she was having trouble sleeping as flashes of images of her and Helga come quickly

 ** _MARRY ME_**

 _I...CAN'T HELGA_

 ** _WHY NOT_**

 _YOU'RE BECOMING SOMETHING...DANGEROUS AND I CAN'T FOLLOW YOU DOWN THAT PATH ANYMORE_

 _..._

 _POOR UNGRATEFUL LITTLE CHIEF_

 _I OF THE MIGHTY TRIBE OF THE WARISI KNOW YOU'RE NOT DOCTOR PORTER,WHO ARE YOU?_

 _CALL ME QUEEN LA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA_

 **Suddenly Jane found herself within what like look a weird place, a strange mixture of vague ancient ruins and what look like modern buildings. She was shocked to see above her a gigantic glass dome that seemed to go on endlessly.**

 **"What is this place?" A look of confusion was on her face as she saw some more ruins as flashes of seemed to be lighting danced around her**

 ** _"By Neptune's throne, how the hell did you get here?"_**

 **It was distorted and yet it sounded like a little girl's voice like around 9 or 10 years old and strangely British as well in tone. Jane looked around her to see where it was coming from but it was hard to tell.**

 **"Whose asking?" she shouted as the voice answered again**

 _ **"Someone who doesn't take to asking stupid questions"**_

 **"Okay then...why bring me here?"**

 ** _"Ohhh a SMART question and one that i will answer..._**

 ** _...you're girlfriend"_**

 **Now she was grinning happily and don't know why but this was first news that Helga was indeed alive...somewhere. But she just didn't know where as she wanted to question more of this thing.**

 **"She's...she alive?"**

 ** _"In a matter of speaking, yes"_**

 ** _"_ Can i see her?" **

**_"NO...am sorry but she is part of something much more important then you!"_**

 **" What could she done to deserve that?"**

 ** _"Think of it as an atonement. She and her "friends" awakened something and that something is not going to stop until it gets what it wants."_**

 **"I don't understand,was it because of this "fire metal"?"**

 ** _"FIRE METAL!...by Neptune's great fish, you people are playing with dangerous unstable things. Thinkin what they were "toys" for you're bloody damn amusement!. Listen i am trying to save the world here and "you" are not making it easy for me"_**

 **"What do you want then?"**

 ** _"Ohhhh this is going to be hard for you to understand but...stop looking for Helga Sinclair"_**

 **"NO!, don't ask me to do that, am not giving up on her!" she yelled out toward the ruins. She heard the voice groin in abit of annoyance**

 ** _"I am not allowing you to hurt her future here nor am i ever allowing that "thing" to get out again"_**

 **"Her future?"**

 _ **"Man, i can't believe am doing this but take what am about to show you as a warning!"**_

 **Suddenly she was pulled into the center of the weird unnamed city, she was surrounded by a huge endless group of masked people. She could tell all of them were women and yet they were chanting but she couldn't make out what they saying.**

 **As she looked around her, the group of them were parting as she saw one figure standing in the middle. The figure was dressed in rags as well as the fact that they were covered in blood.**

 **She know who it was "Helga" she said happily**

 **She could hear her crying and yet as she moved toward her, the crowd parted. The tenseness and eeriness of it all kept her on her feet.**

 **She kept getting quick flashes and images in her head. Scenes of people dying and always the same figure in front of them. The crowd around her were shouting out toward and yet they seemed scared to go near her**

 ** _"Murderer"_**

 **" _Thief"_**

 ** _"Usurper"_**

 ** _"Black god of death"_**

 **" _Queen of evil"_**

 **" _MONSTER"_**

 **As she neared to touching her shoulder, the crowd fell silent as Helga spoke "Why..."**

 **"Helga, i don't know whats going on here but please just come with me" Jane sounded despise with that plea, yet Helga remand while she was.**

 **"...Why did leave me" strangely enough she seemed to be ignoring her and it don't seem to be a question at all. "Am right here with you" Jane was not understanding what was going on here.**

 **She keeled beside her, she had noticed Helga was wearing a mask as well and not being scared"I will always found you" she said romantically. She slowly saw Helga's face and gasped in utter shock...**

 **A blacked ash ridden near decoying face was staring back at her, bits of her blonde hair were left with exposed white skull. One eye shown through as the other one was covered in solid ash. Her mouth and gleams was exposed out as well as her white teeth. She heard Sinclair laughing madly at her as if this was the funniest thing ever.**

 **"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH, am not beautiful" she said rather seductively as she come toward Jane**

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO HELGA!" Jane screamed as she landed on her feet from the tree she was sleeping in. Breathing heavily she looked up to where she was, she couldn't stop thinking as where that strange place was or who she was talking to but she did now know she had to speak to the one man in all of Washington who did know.

She had to talk with Preston B. Whitmore and it would be one way or the other for her answers


End file.
